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

Anglea

NGlady, Madonna is older than me and look how she dresses! Lol

I think I've only been to Dorothy Perkins once in my life! I used to love Italian clothes and shoes.

Since the clothing crisis I've had M&S mainly, some designer but live in my denim skirts as everying else feels so uncomfortable. Even some of those I've had to take in as they were too big in the waist. I think it all needs to go in a bin and I should start again

I used to buy from catalogues but got fed up with all the returns.

I'm pretty certain if I got my tum flatter a lot of this problem would disappear because whatever clothes I buy, the waist is always much too loose but the rest of it fits. You can't always wear a belt because the excess fabric can look wrong on a lot of designs.

You reminded me NGlady, that I need to take a notepad out with me for tomorrow for my spends.

You keep mentioning Deman and your Xmas pressies. So what were they - I bet I'm not the only one curious??????????

Anglea

Thanks Froglatina I've just been studying your lists and making ones of my own.

I think it would be far better for me to think 'less is more' with the categories and lump things together.

Plan A-

all bills -utitlities

houskeeping (groceries, home maintainance - decoration, furniture, repairs, plumber, piano tuner etc)

personal - clothes, eating out, books, travel, subscriptions, charity, hobbies etc

special occasions -presents, cards, Xmas food

medical (dentist optician etc)


Re the muddle I'm in with the diary forms. Some items in the chemist were groceries and vice versa.

Plan B

1. -all bills as well as house repairs, new furniture/electricals, home insurance, annual maintainance e.g. plumber, piano tuner etc

2. - everything else (housekeeping, personal, medical, presents)

CompletelyLost

LOL at the fancy dress comment Anglea... even though I shouldn't laugh :S I used to feel the same about my clothes but I find it easier to dress my shape now (probably because I have very little to choose from now that nothing fits!) Are you going to have to look for a new outfit for the occassion?

I too hope that your medical appointment goes well tomorrow.

About your spending diary - could you not list each item separately rather than the total of each receipt... or would that take too much time/space?

NG: I know what you mean about shopping for your age... I think my mother is the exception to the rule. She buys from all the same shops as me, but to be fair, she wears quite plain age-less items rather than the overly trendy stuff so doesn't look odd.

And I don't blame you for telling DEman about MSE I'd hate my lot to be spying on me.


Onto my spends... I bought a jumper at Outfit which I'd been eyeing since October, but wasn't willing to pay £40 for it. Bought it with a gift voucher, so technically no spend there

http://www.missselfridge.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33055&storeId=12554&productId=1763908&langId=-1&categoryId=&parent_category_rn=&searchTerm=sweetheart&resultCount=1

Also bought some super pretty earrings for £3.00 (were £7.50). My first unnecessary spend of 2011.

Oh, and also bought a few bits at Home Bargains including some shoe storage thingies :S Total spend - £7.54. Not bad?!

Frogletina

Hi Anglea

The main thing is to get a system that works for you. I've always separated housekeeping and personal spending as the housekeeping used to be for more than me and I wanted to be accountable for that. Now I am on my own, I have kept it that way

I like your idea in Plan A of keeping medical things separate. With opticans, dentistry and prescriptions I must spend a lot in these categories but when I look back at my budgets they are just in with my personal spending. And to be true, although they are personal to me, it's not like buying clothes or books.

So, it looks like I will be expanding my categories!

On another subject, I found a tin of coins I had forgotten about, only about £4 but all good. Also I have a couple of Debenhams vouchers to be used up by April which I keep forgetting about (they were not presents). So wondering if these should be in addition to my personal spending budget. But I have a couple of birthdays in February so maybe I'll spend them on those instead

Frogletina

CompletelyLost wrote: »

Onto my spends... I bought a jumper at Outfit which I'd been eyeing since October, but wasn't willing to pay £40 for it. Bought it with a gift voucher, so technically no spend there

http://www.missselfridge.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33055&storeId=12554&productId=1763908&langId=-1&categoryId=&parent_category_rn=&searchTerm=sweetheart&resultCount=1

lovely dress, CL

NGlady2

ooo cl that dress is just lovely

Anglea

Hi all

Well my big trip out resulted in a massive shopping spree, you wouldn't believe what I bought ........................... sorry I lied, only came home with a bag of Doritos

I did have a look at a few shops, but was very disappointed. The kinds of clothes I like have got to be certain colours that suit me. Everything I saw would have looked awful on me. Then I had a browse round WH Smiths, 2 discount book stores and a quick look in a very cheap 99p supermarket but the queues were too long to contemplate buying anything.

Something funny happened. I couldn't remember where the entrance to the building was, and was walking down one road, then another, no signs for the place I was looking for, however, there were these massive signs for 'Sexual Health Clinic this way'. I was cringing in case anyone thought I was heading there

That was a nice jumper CL.

NGlady2

Evening girls, just a quick update:

Well I have been back at work today - should be criminal, who else agrees?
I took my own lunch today - so saving about £3.50. Those morrisons meals are so lush CL!!
Didn't want to buy a drink at lunch but my food was so hot I needed one, so brought ribena £1.30 - I know its still £20 a month ish but least im not spending the rest of the money huh.
Couldn't find my bus ticket, so had to pay again to get to work - dont mind though £3.30 for two trips and found my other tickets so I shouldnt need to pay bus fare until something like 15th now - woohoo.
Total spends today then are £4.60

Tomorrow is going to be slightly more expensive - possibly £20!! Cinema £7 - cinema snacks £7 (Deman v skint so ill probs pay for this too!) - ribena £1.30 ... however I do save a bus journey £1.30 saved. Gosh.. new me! Who says I get ocd(ish) over things lol.

So - I did a return of £30 on the 2nd Jan - since then I have only spent £13.40 over that and that included lunches for 2 weeks. Not bad huh!!

Another thing thats going this year is my million magazines I buy a week - I brought one on the 3rd.. wasn't very good tbh but thats my weekly magazine.. doned I think ill probs buy my weekly 'more' magazine as I love the articles in there, love the clothes too (Not like im buying em haha)

Sorry if I offended you Angela x

Anglea

Hi all

Reading NG's post reminded me I totally forgot about my idea of writing down my spends today.

You're good paying for DeMan

NGlady2

Angela!!!! I am going to be having words with you

To be honest, he tries to pay for me sometimes and in reality I can afford things easier than he can, it is a !!!!!! sometimes when I see my bank balance reduce but hes so worth it.

I made a complaint to a reaturant the other week - got two free meals so were going there this weekend haha