Bonjour! This is Shrimply saying "Hello"... this won't become a diary... honest!

ShrimplyIrresistable

Hi there folks! I’ve been skulking round for a week or two now (with the occasional little post here and there) and I thought it only right that I properly introduce myself.

…but before I start I have a couple of apologies to make:
1) I’m sorry to the Spelling Police out there… I realise I misspelt my screen name. It should be Irresistible, not Irresistable :mad:. Although, in my defence I was in a rush and if I had any means of changing it I would.
2) I’m sorry to a large proportion of the people on here who’s plight with credit cards and loans I feel somewhat responsible. Let me explain a little better… during my career I’ve spent a good 7 years or so working in financial services and my main responsibility was to trawl databases full of names and personal details trying to find people who’d be eager to have credit. Everyone was scored and then those most likely to want credit were heavily marketed to. I’m sorry if you ended up in debt because I’d selected your name. I hasten to add, it’s not a job I do now.

Like many people on here I think I’ve spent a good number of years living the high-life on the back of credit. Getting what I wanted when I wanted it instead of saving up like a good boy.

Over the years I’d spend most of my available cash eating and drinking in the best places I could find. Weekly shopping was all on credit. My house is full of expensive tat that I never really needed. As far as gadgets are concerned I wasn’t trying to keep up with the Jones I think I was trying desperately to keep up with the Jetsons . If it was new and shiny and nobody else had one, I wanted it. At Christmas I’d go mental and buy everyone as much as I possibly could. I’d roll up to my parents house on Christmas Eve with the car bursting with presents for everyone… I’m sure they’d have been happy with a whole lot less. I lived for today and I knew it. I’m meant to be a bright bloke so God only knows why I continued to do it.

My true light bulb moment was probably when I got married a couple of years ago. I’m not sure what caused it, maybe I thought I couldn’t be irresponsible any more when I have somebody else to consider… maybe I was just scared of getting a frying pan wrapped my head if I kept bringing shiny gadgets home . Since then I’ve stopped using credit to pay for my life and my debts are reducing quite nicely. I’m on a pretty good wage and I can happily cover the repayments, I’m just fed up of having the debt there taking some pretty big wodges of cash out of my pocket each month.

Over the last month or so I’ve started to make some progress towards cutting my outgoings and increasing my income.

So far I have:
1) In the process of switching waster, gas and electricity suppliers
2) Cut our Sky channels back to the bare minimum we’d need to be entertained
3) Swapped out a lot of our light bulbs with energy saving bulbs
4) Joined a vast array of market research panels to get a few points I can turn into prizes… hopefully enough to buy a Christmas present or two
5) Joined the review site Qype and am well on my way to earning a £50 Amazon voucher along with an iPod Shuffle… Shhhhh don’t tell my wife she’ll be getting some books and an iPod for Christmas :rolleyes:
6) Started selling unwanted books, DVDs and games on Amazon… I even managed to find two books that are possibly worth £100 each. I just hope they sell.
7) Started compiling items for sale on E-bay and writing all their description etc in Turbo Lister
8) I like photography so I’ve listed a lot of my old photographs for sale on photo libraries such as Picture Nation
9) I’m designing t-shirts and selling them… as well as simply designing logos and images that other people can purchase for their own t-shirts.

So far I’m actually enjoying it… in fact I’d probably go as far as saying that I’m mildly addicted.
Well, it’s nice to meet you all. No doubt I’ll throw the occasional update on here every now and again… although I’ll never admit to it being a diary

Shrimply

hypno06

Hello and welcome.

I will enjoy reading your non-diary

pandapaws

ShrimplyIrresistable wrote: »

My true light bulb moment was probably when I got married a couple of years ago. I’m not sure what caused it.....

Don't let the wife hear you say that

Look forward to your non-diary updates here. It's great to keep posting, it's totally changed my life (cheesy tho it sounds) and I'm sure Hypno above would say the same.

BTW, I think it might be possible to change your name if you contact...er...someone...at MSE. I think it's allowed if you have a very valid reason, and looking like a thick tw4t to the nation is, in my book, a very valid reason.

Good luck!
Panda x

ShrimplyIrresistable

Thanks folks.
PP, it'll take a lot more than a screen name change to stop me looking like a thick tw4t :rotfl:

Success already! Less than 24hrs after listing and I've already sold 2 items on Amazon. Quality!:j

Shrimply

pandapaws

Fab! Don't suppose it was either of the £100ish ones? I'm on a furniture selling spree at the moment, just waiting for some bloke to turn up and remove a large bookcase from the hallway and hand over a fistful of sterling (a small fist admittedly - £50). Can you sell any of your nice stuff on Ebay? I've got rid of loads of my lovely gadgets and in many cases got not much less than I paid for them.

mummum2

Oh I think your non diary will be an interesting read, can't wait for next installment. Welcome aboard and good luck in your DF journey.

MM2

brummiebabe

I wouldn't change your username - it's amusing & at least people will remember it!!:rotfl:

Sounds like you're doing well already ....look forward to reading x

determinedtodothis

Hello

i'm new too:hello:

ShrimplyIrresistable

pandapaws wrote: »

Fab! Don't suppose it was either of the £100ish ones? I'm on a furniture selling spree at the moment

Unfortunately it was a couple of games... but 40 notes is not to be sniffed at. I hadn't given much thought to flogging furniture. I'll get onto that the moment I land home... running round putting post it notes on anything worth shifting. First gadgets to go on e-bay will be robot dog (our real dog doesn't much like this anyway), a synthesiser (my musical talent can only ever be described as remedial) and a water based cooling system for a PC (just don't ask!).

Hi there hypno, determined, brummie & mummum... welcome and thanks for visiting my illiterate ramblings :rolleyes:

Got to nip off now... I'm only 3 Qype reviews off my free £50 voucher!:T
Move over Duncan Bannatyne, Shrimply's making the big bucks now:rotfl:

Shrimply

bank_of_slate

Welcome shrimp, you sound like a reformed 'Magpie' with all the shiny things.
Keep us posted with your non-diary!
...Linda xx

chevalier

ooh a non diary - should be fun. Ref selling things don't forget notice boards at work to sell things on.

chev