The Secret Dreamworld of a (Scottish) Shopaholic

MrsSmith2013

Arrghh! There's nothing more annoying than things coming off the bank when you think they've already come off! My local Asda seem especially slow, and I always get caught out! Every time it happens I think, "right thats it, I'm only using cash in there" and I NEVER remember to go and take out cash until I'm half way round.

Great news on the snowballing front! That would be fantastic if you could stick to the timescale and shave 13 months off your DFD!! Thats almost a year early, that really would be great.

I find summer holidays one of the worst times for being low on spare cash. There's the new school uniforms to buy, there's kids wanting to go places and do things, day trips etc etc.

I think my more than daily trips on here is what will keep me sane these next few months!!

Hope you're having a good NSD!!

Mrs S x

scottishspendaholic

Hello!

I am popping on to report on progress of my personal make £390 by 31st August challenge, to say that I have netted my first £20! I am going through a job change at the moment, and asked work to cover £20 related petrol costs for extra meetings etc - they could have said no as they were home to work costs, but due to my current job situation, they have agreed! I will receive these in my normal pay on 26th July.

Actually, I have made another £9.99! I received a delivery of a purse ordered last week, which I have arranged to send back. It was £9.99, so I will get this refunded, and I will take the cost of the return postage out of the money in my purse (will post this tomorrow).

I am struggling with lack of chocolate or sweets at home or at work (due to NSDs), but will have to power on through! A NSD so far today, yahoo! I am meeting my Mum for lunch today, which will be nice and she has said she'll pay, yay.

I have some Next sale orders ordered just before LBM and starting this diary, which I am collecting this week and will return straight away (they are already dispatched). This should help to reduce my Next balance as it stands.

I have been thinking about my snowball calculator constantly since last night. It really has hit me like a ton of bricks that I could be 'debt free' in 23 months and be rid of this awful awful secret. I have been p*ssing about for years now, putting off really facing up to things for month after month after month and keeping on spending on my Next account and my cards. I would pay minimum payments and nothing more and put off facing things for another month. Some part of me knew how bad things were and I would spend a furious few weeks eBaying and selling things and making money here there and everywhere, but then I'd SPEND the money on CRaP! It really is a huge double understanding for me - that I need to OVERPAY and I need to not SPEND SO MUCH!

I hate this though, my OH is at home today and will get to the post before me. I'm not expecting anything at this time in the month, but you never know. I feel like I'm living on a knife edge all the time and feel constantly anxious and stressed. The thought that this could all be over in 23 months and I'd have another £280+ anything extra I make to spend on my family and me is absolutely phenomenal. And I wouldn't have this horrible secret eating me up.

Off for yummy lunch now, back soon.

MrsSmith2013

Excellent progress on your "make £390 by 31st August" - go you!!

You sound just like me, I like a bit of chocolate just to get me through, ha ha! I think there are worse things that I could "need" to get through the day, I don't smoke, drink etc, so chocolate (and coca cola) are my downfalls.

Sounds like you have well and truely had your light bulb moment. 23 months is not THAT long to be rid of the debt, and like you say, the awful secret of it. It would be such a burden off your shoulders to be rid of it, I'm sure. I remember that dreaded feeling when the mail comes so well, its an awful feeling!

Enjoy your lunch with you mum, and will chat later!

Mrs S x

marmiterulesok

Hi scottishspedaholic,

That's great news about the snowball calender.

I hope that the 'make £10 a day' plan works well.It's not something that I know off,so can't comment otherwise.

It's good that you're sending clothes back that you've ordered.Surely that'll make a small dent (or even a big one) to help with your goal for the end of August?

Keep up the good work!

ElphabaThropp

Great progress so far! Keep the goal in mind, I'm just sick to the back teeth of this debt now. I want to be free of it and not feel my stomach drop every time the post comes through the door. It'll be so nice to be free and 23 months can come quickly if you power on.

Misty_Blue

I clicked on this diary because of the title (inspired by one of my favourite books! ), but kept reading because a lot of what you said rings true with me.

I'm a recovering shopaholic, and former Next addict, and I too have been coasting along with my debts for years. I've been keeping up with them, but not making anything like as much progress on clearing them as I should be. Now, the fact is that I want to buy a house and I need to save a good deposit, so it's become more important than ever that I get my debts down quicker. I went to the Next sale on Saturday, bought only three things, and paid in CASH!! This may never have happened before.

You're making great progress already and I look forward to following your diary.

scottishspendaholic

Thanks so much everyone.

Misty, that's it. We have 2 (boy & girl) children who are rapidly growing and only a 2 bedroomed flat! We desperately need to move. Its going to be hard enough (impossible?) to remortgage with our joint government debt plan thing, without having my 'secret' debt as well! I would like another baby too, stupid I know in our situation, but I desperately don't feel finished. So I need this debt out of the road, at least partially so that we have options - those options may still include having to sell & rent or rent out our current property and rent somewhere else - but at least we'd have options. I can't even think about this issue very often as it makes my head sore and I can't think of a way out. But I am focussing on busting the 'secret' debt just now - one thing at a time!

I don't think sending back the clothes will help with my August plan (as I need actual cash to do things), the total will come off my Next account total though, which I will update when I have a new statement.

I have made another £22, a friend has promised to pay me some money - I bought her children tickets to something, it was ages ago and I thought she'd forgotten. So £51.99 towards my £390 target in less than 2 days with no hard work! Yahoo! Marmite, this is just my own plan I've made up myself to try and get focussed on my debt repayment plan/snowballing, to make up my shortfall, and to make a fantastic start on things in month one (August).

I was struck last night by the thought that if I stick rigidly to this plan, I could have only one (one !!!) more summer holidays with the kids where money is such an issue. If I'm super good (which I intend to be) then summer 2015 (once I've paid my last payment in June 2015) can be full of fun things to do for all the family! This is a great incentive for me!

DH is busy this weekend and for the next couple of weekends, so I'll be able to put quite a lot of time into eBay & other selling. He knows I do this but obviously not quite how much I sell as he'd want to know what I did with the money. Making money in secret is really tricky. I might try another bingo free site too as I have done really well with these in the past (then spent the money - idiot).

I have had to make a difficult decision today. I have been invited to a friend’s hen weekend at the end of August in a city about 3 hours away from me. The weekend is being planned by her bridesmaid and its £104 for room in hotel/spa/meal with wine, £30 dance lesson, £30 afternoon tea or lunch, £? drinks and spending money, £40 train to get there so around £250 maybe slightly less for 24 hours doing something I’m not really that bothered about! If I had £250 spare and wasn’t debt busting, I’d take my family away for the weekend! Needless to say, this really really riles me – I just think its so thoughtless, particularly at the moment when its common knowledge money is tight for most. When I got married, I was SO conscious of having a cheap hennie, we did something in the afternoon so went pottery painting (£10 each) and for a picnic in the park (bring food to share) – no overnight, no spa, no meals, no afternoon teas. I am kind of helping the bridesmaid to arrange things (I’m not a bridesmaid) and have gently said that I think its quite expensive for people but she was really defensive so I backed off. I have been so worried about this and its been really hurting my head. I don’t want to upset my friend – she’s an old school friend and we’re not super close now, but I have so much time for her and we grew up and went through so much together. She also came to my hennie and it did cost her more as she had to travel to my closest city and then chose to stay over (she didn’t need to as she could have got home). I just couldn’t see how to make this money in time (its so close too, and in my opinion if you do want to do something as expensive as this, you give people more notice and time to save/pay in instalments) so I have made up an untruth and said I’m doing an online qualification for work (true) and that I have an open book exam on the Sunday (not true) – its all plausible though, but isn’t true. So I have said I’ll go to the afternoon tea part (I don’t feel its an option not to go at all) and will have to find the money somehow to book my train (£40) and pay for afternoon tea when I’m there – this isn’t in my aforementioned August budget but the train cost probably needs to be as I’ll need to book asap. Grrrrrrr. Does this !!!! anyone else off or am I a real meanie? Then the wedding is the following month and also involves an overnight stay – arrgggghhhhh!!!

Anyway, signing off for now!

skint_spice

No you aren't alone there spendaholic, they are getting ridiculously expensive these days, went to a pal's a couple of years back though and we were told it would be £100 (included overnight stay and dance lesson) but we were given about nine months notice and paid a deposit etc - much more reasonable but she also had a wee night in her house for those that couldn't make it. It's difficult when folk have different incomes and priorities, I think your compromise is very good.

Well done on your progress towards the £390:T:T

Mara_uk7

No, you're not being a meanie at all , your option of going for part of the weekend is a good one. The "sod it ill just go for the whole shindig" attitude is what got most of us in debt in the first place.
This way you get to join in with some of the fun, and have a reason ( the exam ) not to continue. 4
£40 for the train is a lot to find, no-one you can get a lift off closer .. Or a megabus ?

Misty_Blue

Mara_uk7 wrote: »

The "sod it ill just go for the whole shindig" attitude is what got most of us in debt in the first place.

:T This, exactly.

I think going for the afternoon part acknowledges your friend's special occasion, and shows that you want to be part of it, while at the same time not going crazy and shoving an expensive night out all on plastic. As many of us have probably done in the past!