It’s week 5 of #DearData2019, the data postcard project I’m working on with Ann Jackson this year. This week we tracked the things we bought throughout the week.

For me, this week was very badly timed! I was ill with flu for the first half of the week & didn’t leave the house for a number of days. I actually ended up working from home all week in an effort to recover. Normally I purchase multiple things on a daily basis but this week my purchasing habits were very different with my purchases dominated by essentials & painkillers!

I had a migraine which lasted multiple days & I couldn’t stand the glare from my phone. With this in mind I tracked everything the traditional way using pen & paper! To be honest though, there wasn’t much to track so this was pretty straightforward.

My Postcard

Week 5 – Things We Bought | Sarah’s Postcard (Front)
Week 5 – Things We Bought | Sarah’s Postcard (Back)

I split my purchases into two categories; essential & non-essential items. I added things like food & groceries to the essential pile but other things that I could live without if I really had to went into the other pile (that included fuel for my car and beauty ‘essentials’ like anti-ageing cream (ah’hem)). I don’t usually buy that many beauty products but I was replenishing things like shampoo & face wash that I had run out of.

I distinguished between things that I bought for others and things that others bought for me too. My husband was a big help while I was unwell and helped buy me some painkillers, etc. I also bought a few items specifically for others too. I didn’t categorise groceries as these were bought for the family to share.

I’m not happy with my design at all this week. My illness completely killed my creativity & enthusiasm. I’m just happy I was able to complete something!

Ann’s Postcard

Week 5 – Things We Bought – Ann’s Postcard (Front)
Week 5 – Things We Bought – Ann’s Postcard (Back)

I love the approach Ann took this week. Her postcard design is abstract but fun. There’s no way of knowing what her design represents without checking the legend which I think is a good thing. I particularly like how she showed each item purchased individually as a leaf & grouped categories of items together as individual flowers. This adds some additional context which my postcard was certainly missing!

Don’t forget to read Ann’s summary of the week here.

Thanks for reading.