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

morocha

i like reading too... ( magazines with freebies !, i stopped once i knew you can get a subscription for a couple of pounds, all of them have finished.. so i am waiting for something worthwhile).. in books i read the fisrt few pages then i read the last one..so i know i will like the book and want to read the "middle bit" now... i am weird.. but everytime i get a book i can not stop reading it.. it is this urge that i must finish it asap.

velocitygirl.. you have to tell us about your makeover with your hairdresser !!

i like bags, but since i have DD i have to choose big ones, and i feel like in a arm there is this big bag a child and then shopping with more bags.. i get tired and fed up. I do like tho handbags, but lately i only choose leather... i only own around 4 i think.
Holidays bag are something different.. i like having my hands free so i choose across the body ones... with while sandals, some shorts and a white t shirt.. they look nice.. or a summery white dress.. i tend to wear light colors.. and i do not pack too much.

debtdesperado

I have stopped reading women's magazines... at the height of my shopping craziness I was buying all the glossies throughout the month and then rushing out to buy (rather haphardardly) all the stuff I impulsively saw and wanted. Now I have stopped reading magazines, I'm not interested in shopping. I definitely think there is a link!

All women's magazines are anyway are shopping catalogues. I have said it elsewhere on the board, but you won't find a single page of a magazine that doesn't recommend you buy something - whether it's clothes, books, vitamins, holidays etc etc. I have found that if I stop reading, I stop wanting... then the only things I shop for are the things I need, because independently I have thought, oh, I need a new jumper because this one is worn out, for example.

I was a bit flat yesterday about my debt but have calculated that by the end the of year it should hopefully be under £10,000...At the moment I'm so fed up of never having any money....

I can't remember who said it above but I really like the idea of getting your old statements and as you pay off the debt, ticking off what you have finally 'bought' that month. Brilliant!

lynzpower

All women's magazines are anyway are shopping catalogues. I have said it elsewhere on the board, but you won't find a single page of a magazine that doesn't recommend you buy something - whether it's clothes, books, vitamins, holidays etc etc. I have found that if I stop reading, I stop wanting... then the only things I shop for are the things I need, because independently I have thought, oh, I need a new jumper because this one is worn out, for example.

I read psychologies - hardly any adverts, and really a proper magazine

verynewmoneysaver

I like psycholgies too Lynzpowers. However I'm suscribed to Good Housekeeping at the moment, as they had a really cheap offer with a really good free cookbook. Had to subscribe for 2 years though. Some good articles in it quite often, but it's always advertising really expensive clothes in it's fashion articles. They must think their readers are made of money!

Anglea

Hi all

Well only one impulse buy today - 50p charity shop book. Went out to lunch and the bill got mixed up, then they ran out of change and owed me some but forgot to give it to me later. Luckily I remembered.

Morocha I can't stop reading either, especially if it's exciting. I keep want to get to the next part - often get headaches after reading in the early hours of the night as I can't put the book down.

Yes, with children you do have a lot of luggage to take around with you, spare clothes, nappies etc. I always remember my friend opening her bag for a tissue and pulling out a pair of children's pants!

I used to buy Psychologies when it started but stopped after I noticed similar articles. Plus I had enough of their free journals by then.

verynewmoneysaver

Wen to town this afternoon but only bought a 99p scarf from the charity shop so quite pleased with myself.

CompletelyLost

^well done on your low-spend day. So far this month I have spent £65.44 and that's just on non-essentials.

Oh, and I've sent the seller of the badly-described item an email... going to see what they say. Probably won't have any luck but it's worth a shot I guess.

morocha

did u pay by paypal ?? if you did.. it does not matter what he says... you can always send it back with recorded delivery... and paypal will give you the money back.

Little_Chicken

Hi all I'm so glad that there is a 'newish' shopaholic thread. I am terrible I will post again later, but just popped into say Hi! I've already found some excellent advice from the first few pages. LCxxx

CompletelyLost

Hi LC, welcome to the thread

I've decided that I'm going to drastically cut down the amount I spend on 2nd hand stuff bought online. I'd say 7/10 times the items are a disappointment when they arrive OR they don't fit. It's all ok if I've tried something on in a shop, loved it and then bought it online for a discount... but impulse purchases of clothing that might not fit (and end up being resold or swapped) are just not worth the hassle. Even if most of them cost less than £5.

This has come after receiving another top I bought online (2nd hand from livejournal) which is disappointing.

Anyway, I'm not sure what today has in store for me. Might just go to the supermarket with my mum... or stop in. I actually think that going out is the safer option, as in real-life I'm less tempted to buy