Cathy Adams's blog

Ah, the beast of the New Year has reared its ugly head once more. Misery January, as it’s better known, means we all dance a merry jig around a list of promises a mile long – the most common being stop eating, stop drinking and stop having fun.

I’m not exactly one to talk about the craziness of Christmas shopping – after all I’ve only bought four gifts this festive season, and even one of those was a secret Santa present that only cost me £3.74.

It’s really quite depressing that the minute I land a great job and start to earn some money, I also have to contend with the more mundane things in life – debt and buying your own insurance.

Every cloud has a silver lining, as they say.

This week has been a bad one for my blood pressure and my pocket. First the Tube strike, followed by two days of snow has had the combined effect of sending my heart rate through the roof.

Another week, another energy company announces hikes in gas and electricity prices. Only last week did ScottishPower (incidentally, my utility provider) enter the fray alongside Scottish & Southern Energy and British Gas to say it too was raising prices.

If you’re a regular reader of my blogs, I’m sure you’ve noticed how much I love cycling. There’s nothing that warms my heart more than whizzing past commuters waiting at the bus stop and arriving at work before them.

 This month, most of my salary has been spent on train tickets. Why? I’ve booked to go to Nottingham, Southend and Liverpool. The occasion? For friends’ birthdays.

I’m going to put it out there – I love eating. I love finding new places to eat, or just grabbing a curry from the local. Even as a skint graduate, I still spend more than I should on restaurant bills.