Having just arrived in Germany at 5:50am this morning, and with an entire day ahead of me during which I must endeavour to stay awake, I have decided on a little project.

Europe is not really a place to go on a budget. Even though I have my trusty Lonely Planet Guide entitled ‘Europe on a Shoestring’ (which by the way weighs a whole kilo all by itself and thus, I am sure, is entirely responsible for my luggage being overweight!) that recommends allowing 40-80 Euro per day for Western Europe, hardly a shoestring and this doesn’t include shopping!

So how does one enjoy shopping and maintain some semblance of style on a budget in Europe?! I don’t quite know yet but I have decided to investigate and have some ideas to get us started…

Tip 1: Make it yourself!
With a whole day ahead of me and a firm possibility that I will wake up at ridiculous hours of the morning I have started knitting. I brought the wool over from Australia and the aim is to make it look like this –

The pattern says ‘easy knit’ so we’ll see! Here’s a start –

I’ll keep you updated, don’t hold your breath though, lets set the finishing date for next winter shall we?