Reformed shopaholic? please can you give me the benefit of your advice

Anglea

Hi everyone

Anyone else like me - begrudge 'wasting' time and money for necessary purchases as I don't find any pleasure in it. Instead spend all the time and money on those blissful cravings.

Have a good day everyone - Saturday afternoons up the shops - danger time

verynewmoneysaver

I am a bit of a shopoholic too, and also very tempted by the M& S sales. and also the grabbit board! Am trying to do the clothes challenge but not finding it easy at all. Going to take an M&S sale item I haven't worn back next week, but will have to avoid buying something else whilst I'm in there!

Treacly

I've been really inspired by reading this board over the last few days - so much so that this morning I got up early and listed a load of my toiletries stash on ebay and half of it already has bids on! I've been meaning to do that for absolutely ages so thanks everyone for giving me renewed determination!

I've noticed I'm much better these days at doing 'virtual' online shopping - I browse my favorite clothes websites for ages (I've got loads bookmarked from my shopaholic days), fill the basket up with stuff as I go along, then log out without paying.

As for the wardrobe-full-of-clothes-but-nothing-to-wear....how very true. Tragic isn't it? I've got a thing for dresses, but wear the same three or four over and over again and leave dozens still with the labels on JUST IN CASE. Dresses and boots. Dresses and boots and necklaces...

ald65

Hi all
I used to be a massive shopholic.This lasted for years until I had accrued so much debt that we just about went bankrupt:eek:
I am now a massive Savaholic and have reached the other extreme where I have to force myself to part with my hard earned cash;)

I can honestly say that I am so much happier nowadays knowing that I dont need to buy things on a whim.
I too used to envy people who were carrying large amount of bags full of the latest purchases, however I now feel desperately sorry for them as I suspect they are racking up huge debts

Anglea

Hello Treacly and Verynewmoneysaver

Today was the first Saturday in ages I managed to return without buying any clutter, just got necessary food shopping. Although I was dithering excessively in each aisle as I couldn't bear the idea of coming home so early withouth my usual browsing sessions in my fave shops.

Treacly

Thanks Anglea - it's nice to be here! I know what you mean about dithering round the shops - I sometimes get almost desperate when I can't find anything I want to buy. I'll keep going into little boutiquey-gifty-type shops in town and just buy some ridiculous scented candle or some such, just to have that sense of having bought something. I was going to write 'I used to...' then, but even though MSE and reading these forums has made some BIG changes to my shopping habits in the last few months, I can't swear it'll last forever. Hope so though - it'll be nice not to be at the limits of the overdraft every month.

lynzpower

I can't swear it'll last forever. Hope so though - it'll be nice not to be at the limits of the overdraft every month.

It will only last if you "keep at it" and keep in tune with what you are doing.

I was really good for a couple years, paid off all my debts with the support of this site, and for the first time in ages HAD MONEY. Last year though I really took my foot off the money saving pedal and spent an absolute fortune on holidays and general "invisibles". Last year I wasted over 10k on absolutely nothing.

10k would have paid for a great car, or even our wedding or lets face it both!

Would be the key to a cheaper mortgage, when we think about buying a place.

This year has to be different. I do not want to get to the end of 2010 with nothing to show for it, aside from a house full of carp that isnt really what we want or need.

[Deleted User]

Useful links:

an article on how the shops & brands set out to get you, and get your money, which is all they *are* after despite their customer charters et al http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3634141/They-have-ways-of-making-you-spend.html

Interesting US piece on psychology of shopping & "the endowment effect" (when a person’s ownership of an object (real or imagined) makes it suddenly worth much more to them)
http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/shopping-psych-101-look-dont-touch/

Ask yourself this - do retailers spend money advertising plain cotton pants, ordinary milk, salt, sugar, plain rice? No they don't! They only advertise and promote what you don't really need.

Anglea

Treacly, I chuckled when I heard about the candles and wondered if they would ever g et used? When I left the supermarket today, I called in at mum's and was rifling through her mags feeling desperate to find one to take home, thinking it was better than buying something, but none of them 'did it ' for me - all cooking ones. So I was walking home feeling a bit on edge.

That's a really brilliant idea you have about the virtual shopping online without actually buying. I'm going to try that later on. Probably get totally addicted to it LOL

Lynzpower - what types of things did you buy for 10k?

Joolzred- thanks for the links. When I saw the bit about the endowment effect I'd misread it and thought it was about the other psychological idea that if you name objects you own, they work better e.g. give your car a name, vacuum etc

CompletelyLost

Thanks for posting those articles, joolzred - they were both very interesting! Though I know most of their tactics, it's a different matter altogether when you're actually shopping. All sense seems to fly out of the window (for me anyway).

I managed to spend just £3 on ebay today. Compared to my usual Saturdays, that really is small fry...