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

Frogletina

Hi everyone

Well spends for me are going fine

First spend of the year was last night when I bought a diet coke £1.25 on my evening out. No other expenses.

This morning I went to Sainsburys to see if they had any reduced Christmas Puddings (I had left it rather late, but I noticed on another thread people were buying them yesterday. I did spend £4.86 there but I was so pleased after walking around the shop and buying nothing else. Keeping to a total of £5 a day on housekeeping for January

CompletelyLost

Anglea, you tease. And there was me thinking that you'd been on a spending binge. LOL at the sexual health clinic - that's like something that would happen to me.

NG, could you not take your own snacks for the cinema? Cinemas are soooooo expensive for popcorn/drinks. Good luck with cutting out the magazines. I tend not to bother with newspapers or mags, as there's so much stuff to read online. I guess that if you're commuting though, you want something to read.

Today I went with my mum into the city, as on Monday I won a prize (an amazing, designer clothing prize and I can choose three items from their web site :j) and wanted to try on some of the items before letting the competition people know what size/style I'd like. So I'll be getting some rather lovely new things delivered to me very soon - FOR FREE!

I think I get more of a buzz from winning than from shopping.

As for my spends today... they were around £10. I didn't buy much at all, just some pjs & undies from primarni, bottle of coke & my train fare.

Anglea

Only a quickie from me, headache.

Well done CL on your wins. I can still feel the thrill when I won a limerick competition and received a book of first class stamps! A tiny prize but it made me feel good.

So I can well imagine how you felt winning your prize. That's fantastic! :T

CompletelyLost

I hope your headache has cleared, Anglea.
& thanks. It is a great buzz. If my luck continues like this for the rest of the year then I'm sure my spends will be at an all time low.

Well, today's spends = £0.00 and I did actually go out.

The only thing that I need is nail varnish remover. Speaking of which, I have gone through my nail polishes this evening and dumped all the congealed ones. It's made me realise just how ridiculous it is to have so many - they only last a few years. Most of the ones I binned only had a few uses too What a waste of money.

NGlady2

Hey girls,

Angela - Hope your better?

CL - what a thrill!! What designer is it? What did you pick out in the end? (Droooools on designer handbags!) i'd love to go to debenhams on Oxford St and do a personal shopping experience, though would want to do that having saved a good couple of hundred up - dont think ill ever do this now, read below!

Well girls, I have to say I have been a bit of a sinner.

On wednesday night me and deman didnt go cinma in the end cos we was super hungry, so we went to the pub for a curry night - spent £14.80 there. Angered me though as could have got it for £11.80 - didnt realise it was curry night until we'd paid.. oh wells, you live and learn. Then.. nipped to Asda to buy something for work - should have left spending £0.90p, nope book sale on so spend £4.80 on 3xbooks and a magazine!! Also at work brought a breckie cob as didnt take enough food with me to last throughout day on diet and a can of £0.70p pop!

Yesterday - pulled it back a little £1.10 on a bottle of drink. Which is still on my desk so may be able to last two days IF it still tastes ok

Booked my driving lessons to start next week! So now the race is on to save money! Was looking at cars last night, and for the same amount I spend on my debt each month (only £60) over 3 years (what iv already paid over!) plus the deposit ive already saved up i could buy a 06 KA, talk about motivation.

So little challange to myself, in my purse, ive got £34.80 - this needs to last me until Monday morning :O this includes a eyebrow waxing tomorrow at £7!! Im yee of little faith but i dont think ill manage it some how lol.

Anglea

Hi girls

N. Glady from now on we'll be talkng cars in each post, so it will be a subliminal message to you. As for buying the books and magazine, you obviously love a bargain, so think about all that fun you'll be having when you start comparing prices and bargains for cars.

CL, well done on your NSD I think we need audio on here, a trumpet fanfare should do it :T

In the charity shop this week I happened on a load of my books I'd given them and was tempted to re-buy them .

Bought a book. Spanish cooking - Tapas. Whether I'll ever make anything is another story. I got it because it reminded me of the time I was young in Spain and used to go every day to a Tapas bar in a section of town with no tourists and used to mix with all the locals. I loved it. Since Waitrose overtook my local supermarket I've seen ready made tapas in there but it was very dear so to have a number of different items at once would be a ludicrous amount, hence I've been thinking a while of making my own.

You'll all be pleased to know, but since we all started talking about personal accounts, I keep working on my totals. I've now finished writing up receipts for Nov and Dec. And written a seperate page for Xmas - food, presents, cards, postage. Also started finding my utility bills totals and need to look up mortgage etc.

To do-
1. add up each month in the diary/annual totals/categories
2. start a seperate file
3. re-sort all financial files so they are as efficient as possible
4. finish all shredding

Something I always thought would be necessary is a household file where you list everything that would be essential information about the bills, savings, medical details, possessions, in case you had an emergency and someone had to look for things on your behalf or even a worst case scenario

Re possessions - if they have been passed down through the family, or valuable etc - in case someone going through your belongings things they are tat and throws them out without realising what they are.

When I first got married I had a book where I listed all serial numbers of things, took photos of items you name it. I was ultra organised in those days with everything. I never even had any clutter

Yesterday I went to Lidl @ £40 then in Peacocks spent £7 (socks and pj bottom) have a return of £4, Library audio book £2 and Milkman £17.14.

When I wrote those up in my notebook, I realised that apart from never keeping tabs on eating out or pound shops last year, I'd completely overlooked library costs.

Anglea

hi girls

I was out today and hoping to remember everything I did by the time I write it up -

charity shop clothes (lets see if they fit), watch repair (new battery fitted), Cargo ( 2 reduced gifts for 2011), photocopies, film developing x 2, returns £4 back hope I haven't forgotten anything.

How did you all get on?

NG - how are you with buying food and drink for work today?

CompletelyLost

Hi all,

Anglea - that must've been torture to see your donations in the charity shop. Dare I say 'well done' to you for only buying one book?

Glad you're sorting your spends out though - organisation is definitely the key when it comes to financial things. What are you returning? You don't have to answer, I'm just being nosey

Hmm well, today I spent a grand total of 69p on some nail varnish remover. I'm getting annoyed again with all the clutter around me (what's new?!) and am trying my best not to bring anymore in. Plus, it's free listing weekend so lots of stuff will be making its way onto ebay.

NG: good luck with the driving lessons... let's hope you get further than I did :S Not sure if I mentioned before but I absolutely hated it, and can't seem myself ever driving! I know you said you've had some lessons before though so you're probably more determined than me.

Oh, and the prize was designer jeans. Three pairs of my choice. I wish it was bags... but jeans are more practical anyway, given that I was moaning a couple of weeks ago about needing to buy some!

Frogletina

Hi all

Results of January week 1

Housekeeping - £4.56 Personal Spending £2.75

This is less than I'd allowed for each day! I have loads of food left over from my extra buying for Christmas. Tomorrow my daughter is having a leftovers party where we take any left over food from Christmas and New Year. I do have a few mince pies, not sure what else I have that is Christmassy, but might find a few things around. Oh, I have some crisps but I don't suppose anyone will want the sprouts that I have!

CompletelyLost

Well done Frogletina, your weekly spends are tiny. You'll have a nice little surplus by the end of the month if you continue like this.

My weekly spends are £19.58. I'm happy with that, given that there are a lot of sales going on and I've managed to resist temptation.

Don't think we will be going out today. I'm getting some stuff together, ready to list on ebay, and also some things to take to the recycling place (old computer modem, batteries, general junk). Fun times