What events have determined who we are today...

Iriahm

i like spendaholics for the lady who is fab at helping cut the household bills (but not as good as MSE!). I was also thinking after last nights show what the guy would think my "trigger" to spending was.

As a child and teenager I was a talented swimmer and trained every morning and night, at competitions most weekends. I loved this and now coach. Had to give up abruptly due to injury and then went on to uni and as someone else has mentioned, getting £2500 in your bank account on freshers week is amazing. I didn't realise that it was supposed to have lasted the entire year, pay for all my rent/food etc and quickly moved into the "free" student overdraft that was thrown to me (they should not be so freely available). Parents are not high earners so I didn't want to burden them and never asked for money. I worked during term time and had 3 jobs in holidays, but when I graduated I had £8000 student loans, £2000 overdrafts and £2000 on cards.

This has been compounded by buying my flat and consolidating without cutting back to todays £40k debts. I do spend to feel better and always have a "project" going on. Now managing to not spend. Went at lunchtime to shops and actually found that shopping is not giving me the satisfaction that it once did.

Kevicho

OOh a cool thread, finally

This to me highlights the whole issue of nature/nurture etc, some people are born spenders, others savers.
But I think one of the main issues is education and also the influences we have around us.

Most people it would be fair to say are failiures when it comes to money, and these are the people we look up to and get advice from.

Schools didnt teach much, instead concentrating on rubbish such as classical studies (ie greek mytholigy) and religion

I think from my personal perspective its becoming easier for me know, as i have put lots of research in and am learning al lthe time.

For most people learning stops when they leave school, this is one of the problems, learning gives you incentive and also keeps the old nogging going.

This is time that is instead wasted on trash tv, shopping, comfort eating and other activities which are classed as "relaxation"

Instead of turning on the tv, read a book, have a conversation, log on to MSN, do something that will make you feel better.

Trust me, 2 weeks of no tv (mostly thanks to working 12 hours a day) and i feel great

wanna-be-mortgage-free_2

Kevicho wrote:

This is time that is instead wasted on trash tv, shopping, comfort eating and other activities which are classed as "relaxation"

Instead of turning on the tv, read a book, have a conversation, log on to MSN, do something that will make you feel better.

Trust me, 2 weeks of no tv (mostly thanks to working 12 hours a day) and i feel great

I have done all three of these and did class them as relaxation. But now, after 11mths of hard slog have lost 6 stone in weight (so comfort eating crossed off the list); cut my shopping addition down (thanks to MSE) and totally refuse to put on trash tv programmes now especially reality tv instead choosing to read or listen to music! It's amazing how much more you get done without having the tv on :rotfl:

So does the media have a part to play in this? Or is it just us? We've all seen the adverts for loans, credit cards, buy it now pay later, they don't MAKE us fill out the forms for this so in the end DO WE HAVE A CHOICE?

wanna-be-mortgage-free_2

Iriahm wrote:

Went at lunchtime to shops and actually found that shopping is not giving me the satisfaction that it once did.

Do you think it would give you the same satisfaction if you were not in debt?

JAMIEDODGER

the tv dulls the brain, dvds are just old films reinvented and computer games dont feed the soul.

try taking a walk, stop once in a while to smell the flowers, educate yourself in everything, enjoy life, find balance and everything else will fall into place.

wanna-be-mortgage-free_2

JAMIEDODGER wrote:

the tv dulls the brain, dvds are just old films reinvented and computer games dont feed the soul.

try taking a walk, stop once in a while to smell the flowers, educate yourself in everything, enjoy life, find balance and everything else will fall into place.

That sounds wonderful Also means you don't get tempted by all the buy now pay later ads :rotfl: