Can't control myself

lynzpower

ooops forget my manners

Welcome to op :wave:

mrcow

Old Style is definitely the board you want. If you type in "grocery challenge" into the search bar and search on the OS threads, the monthly challenge threads will come up that contain loads of tips and ideas.

There are also LOADS of OS recipes on the board too, making meals for a fraction of the cost that you could pay at a supermarket.

There are also great tips on cleaning products and toiletries.

Good luck.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

when you say you cant stop spending.... is it the actual thrill of the spend rather than what you are buying ? i USED to have this problem...i used to buy things and convince myself it would help us save money or we needed it.... now i get the same buzz/thrill without spending any money.... this might sound strange but now i get my fix from the freebies that i send away for....dont get me wrong i go to tescos/boots and buy things... that i dont need straight away... but with certain loopholes it works out that they are either free or they are paying me to take the items away...( see the boots and tesco mis-pirce threads in grabit... and tescos club card points in online vouchers sections)
my thril has now turned from spending to saving.....

good luck.....and with all the help and sincere words form all the mse'rs hopefully you will work it out.....:rotfl:

In_Search_Of_Me

Just to say welcome & send a hug. I have to say that I know you're struggling but I think that if you're spending £200 on everything for all of you you're doing pretty well. I know people spend less but I for one give you a pat on the back!!
As for the food possibly worth using internet to look up resources to assess whether you do have an eating disorder or whether you may be using food out of boredom to a degree. ie has your eating increased since leaving work etc? May also be worth speaking to GP about this.
Re self worth can you get some you time & also get time to meet with others? Being at home with children can be great but it can also be very deskilling esp if you had a job you loved before) & mind numbingly boring at times!! (I've done it so speak from experience - remember having a serious conversation about what was the best fabric softner!!). Sounds like you may not be getting ANY you time at all & could do with meeting up with others to decrease the sence of isolation that you seem to be feeling? My biggest concern I guess is your lw self esteem & wonder if it would be worth you having some councelling to assess why this is, this may also be the root of your depression & examining the cause with a professional may help set you free to move on...your GP should be able to help & you can get help privately (about £30 a session) if you dont want to go through your doctor. Feel free to say if I've got this all wrong...(hope I havent though!!). Big hugs & keep posting!

homersimpson_3

Congrats to anyone who has managed to keep up with all this drivel...your prize is in the post.

stop being so hard on yourself- none of it is drivel.

I think that if you're spending £200 on everything for all of you you're doing pretty well. I know people spend less but I for one give you a pat on the back!!

agreed- if you don't believe it read other posts on forum (which i haven't posted!).

h4nym

Marnie wrote:

How to feed, clothe and clean family for 40 quid a week? Is it possible?

When u have 200 quid available all month, 40 quid a week is the budget for a week! Every third month is a 5 weeker... the intervening two give you an extra couple of hundred quid for unexpecteds like Christmas!

H

Marnie

Month is more than 4 weeks :-(

wannabedebtfree_2

I have read you more recent post and just want to say well done on not having the McDonalds!!

I too have an addiction to food, have binge eaten since I was about 15, when I suppose I was borderline bulimic (would go days without eating, then binge, but cannot make myself sick, it makes me cry!!!)

Its very hard for people to understand the compulsion to buy and eat massive amounts of food, and on other (weight loss) forums I have actually had people be quite abusive about my inability to control the urge 100% of the time.

I have stood in shops in front of my 'binge favourites' and literally had a battle with myself in my head, knowing that if I buy stuff, and eat it I will feel disgusted with myself, but at the same time knowing that if I don't buy it, because I am in the frame of mind to binge, that I will regret it later and end up eating anything I can find, even if I don't necessarily like it (don't really like biscuits but have been known to smother them in choc spread because its more refined than spooning choc spread straight from the jar into my mouth!! - and you think you're f**ked up!!!! theres plenty of us out here hun that empathise with you!!!)

I have eaten frozen custard slices, hiding the rubbish in the car so that my OH wouldn't find it, then binning the evidence in a public bin, I have eaten whole choc fudge cakes with a whole tub of cream, I have eaten pack after pack of crisps and chocolate bars, I buy stuff specifically for a binge, eat it, feel disgusted, promise I won't abuse myself again, then the cycle starts over, and after 15 years of horrific eating habits I know its a long process to make amends.

Unlike you I am overweight, I need to lose just over 5 stone, have lost 2 stone so far, but like eating too much to lose weight at any speed!!

We CAN sort this out, it just needs to be baby steps!!

Crikey - we're a right lot on here aren't we!!!???

xxx

QueenB.

I too have had a bad relationship with food since i was a teenager and for the last few years it has been a binge junk one.

I do my weekly shop and never buy any junk but then as the week goes by i nip down the shop or get OH to pick something up, it blows budget and any plans i have to lose weight.

However i say visit the OS board, i have always baked but they have so many cheap, quick and very scrummy recipes on there. I also find that the more i bake the less i want to eat all that stuff, strange but very helpful:D

You need to break the cycle and fill it with something else until the cravings have disappeared, and they do, believe me. I also stitch as you have to keep your fingers clean so i can't pick at any goodies and plus i get so distracted that by the time i stop i no longer want the thing i was craving.

Lots of tips to be had and welcome to MSE:wave:

earwig

hi im like you i spend loads of money on food every week i dont have an eating disorder though im just a pig im thinking of moneyall the time and am working out bugets i dont stick to talk to your oh tell him what you have done and ask him to help you pay back the overdraft giving your card to your oh wont help i know you will just get upset when you cant get the things you want and that will put you under presser with your oh
go to your gp tell him you want to come on the pills and ask him to put you in touch with counciller who will go through it all with you your oh wont be able to controll this for you its somthing you will have to do your self i know as i have treid every trick in the book oh having card not taking card out with me only carrying cash i need cutting up card taking cash out of bank and having it all in pound coins so i could see how much i was taking as i had to count it all none of it really works
i still dont have it under controll but am getting better at it just think i can buy this chocbar ect but i would rather save the money untill the weekend and buy a new book top lipstick ect or till next week im sorry if this sounds harsh but i speak from the heart when i know just how hard it is also i shut my acount opened a new one with no overdraft so icouldnt get one even if i wanted to then you cant get the overdrawn again with it this helps loads as if i want somthing and i have no money i have to ask oh just the thought of asking for more money even though i know he would give it is often enough to show me i dont want it that much hope this helps