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

NGlady

Over how many years was that Angela?

Just done a quote to have my provisional licence and my mum as a second driver on there, itll only cost me 50 a month to be insured on it which I am very pleasently suprised about.

Thats right a return on the top is going to happen!

CompletelyLost

Anglea, did you really take 20 tests or are you exaggerating a tad? My mum took five tests before passing... my dad passed first time and my brother just failed his first attempt. I'm hoping I follow in my dad's footsteps, that's if I ever get round to having lessons!!!

I think I'd prefer a female instructor but are there many around?!

NG that seems cheap for the insurance for a 1st time driver. I was doing quotes for myself and it was churning out insane prices but maybe it was the cars I chose!

NGlady

CL - what cars was you choosing? I found that things like KAs 106's etc was quite cheap to insure.

Anglea

Hi girls

CL I was not exaggerating unfortunately. I was always pleased that at the time there was a woman in the papers that failed over 40 times and still hadn't passed, and just recently I read of someone failing over 90 times!

Who ever I drove with used to say I was very confident and I'm sure I would have passed if the test had been as an assessment during a normal type of lesson. But just arriving at the centre and sitting in the draughty hall waiting with a load of people for your name to be called turned me into a psycho :mad:

Plus I always managed to get something unusual happen e.g. one of the first tests managed to get me a walking funeral cortege with horses :rotfl:

CompletelyLost

My brother's friend has a KA and his insurance is a whopping £1800/year. I guess because they are teenage boys it is much much higer than average. I was trying more sporty cars :S and my parents car, which is a 7-seater estate. Probably why the quotes were high.

Anglea - wow, 20 times. You must have had some pretty bad luck on your tests. Would you not try to pass it again or have you given up? I think I read somewhere that the world record of tests taken was around 200 so you have a while to go yet!

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My family are away for a couple of days so I'm even more bored than usual. Tomorrow I'm going to go into the city on my own and have a look around. The main reason I want to go is to return some stuff my mum ordered. I could do with some new plain flats too... my most sensible pair are ruined and I usually always get my shoes at Priceless, as they do 9/10s for cheap.

Have just done my sums and last month my total spends (minus necessities) were £62.27 £25 on food, £23 on beauty stuff, £10 on clothes and the rest on random things. Returns were £16.

Apologies if my number-crunching bores anyone, I've said before I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to my spending diary It does help though...

Anglea

Hi all

CL - so I need 181 more tries to be champion of failed tests LOL

No, I'm not planning to try it again, it was too soul destroying. It was over a long period of years where I stopped then re-started but I couldn't go through all that again. Perhaps if I'd grown up in the US and driven an automatic at 16 I would have passed. I probably spent enough money on lessons and tests to buy an apartment in New York!

I even had a mishap just before my theory test - my shoe broke in half LOL

CL it's good that you're writing down your money spent in the month, at least you know what is going on with your finances (unlike some myself included in that )

Hope you don't get carried away on your shopping trip.

I've only bought groceries today (raining hard) so was put off doing anything else. At the moment I'm on a fitness drive so hope I can fit into all those unworn clothes in the wardrobe.

Shock horror alert. Discovered why I probably have put on so much weight so fast - for years I only ever ate Nimble bread or else other small loaves that have about 50 calories or less per slice. But over the last month it was always sold out at the times I was shopping so bought this other bread 2 for 1 offer for large sized loaves. Today I went to buy some again and happened to look at the calorie content - :eek: it was something unbelievable, like over 300 calories a slice!!!! I was often eating 4 or more slices a day!! With crisps. Yuk, I can't believe it. I've never heard of bread being so high in calories, but it must be becaues it's the extra thick type.

Never buying that again. I was also getting a lot of stomach pains, not suprising.

CompletelyLost

Hi all,

No posts for a couple of days, I hope you're all well?

Anglea

Hi girls

CL - I stayed in and spent most of yesterday excercising whilst watching the news on tv with that Cumbria story and trying to juggle Eastenders, Holby, Y. Apprentice and BGTalent all at once.

Today I also stayed in until 5.30 when I went with ex to an event to do with my son and only just got back in, so two NSD's.

What have you been up to?

NGlady

Hi all

I've had a lovely couple of days thankyou hope you have too?
Just been @ work thats about it really
Decided I reallllly need to start being more careful with my money again, its amazing how being @ work the odd can of pop here - chockie bar there, can REALLY add up!

Anglea

Hi all

NGlady are you spending more or less on food than before? I know you spent less in recent weeks but before you ate out at the shops.