Shopsalot - does exactly what it says on the tin..

shopsalot

elantan - how lovely - thank you :T (dont know if that will work - read it somewhere)

Problem is - with all this support - I have set myself on a road that no-one will let me off!

but then I guess thats the point... hmmmm... I think i'm learning !

shopsalot

woohoo - it worked

Conrad

Shopsalot, I had a desire to cutback on spending as I wanted to invest more so that I could retire asap and travel the world.

As a result I came to see brands as tacky, and for people who follow the herd not realising that they are'nt fooling anyone and furthermore the only true winners are the designers themselves.
I found I preferred surf shop type clothes (this was about 10 years ago before surf shops became fashionable) which were well made and better value.

I also came to see my car as a money pit. It took a lot for me to ditch the flash car but now I feel stangely smug in my non flash Audi. I also came to realise that people with real money often drive un pretensious cars. I live in a village and for sure the real moneyed people have old Volvos etc whereas the salesman types on £40,000 per year drives a £60,000 BMW!! I realise £40.000 sound s a lot to some people but I am firmly of the opinion that a flash car (say £40,000 value) is only affordable once you earn over £200,000 pa.

I think I'm gonna get a lot of stick now, so please forgive me if the post seems a little vulgar. I always thought once you earned a certain level life got easy but the problem is this apparant ease is counterbalanced by greater stress to keep on earning and sometimes I allow myself to become a little green about others who have more, until I make myself snap out of it.

No matter what we earn, there are always those accross the spectrum that want to save more / spend less.

Toto

Hey welcome back

You really are sounding like a dedicated DFW, well done. As I've already said, lots of us started off a bit half hearted, dipped in and out. But for most of us it took months to get the lightbulb fully on. You've done it in two days :T:
Mind you, you've already cleared a ton of debt so you're obviously pretty good at it anyway.

Do check out quidco, do all of your online purchses through there and get that cashback coming in. I love shoes too, I know I have too many but I do struggle sometimes with that. I was just in town today and saw this fab pair of shoots (shoe boots for anyone who doesn't read Grazia ) but I resisted. I never buy on the spot now... ok that's a lie, I did buy a lovely skirt which I fell in love with, but I did have £40 to spend on me anyway this week. I try very hard not to buy there and then. I usually come home and see if I can find the thing anywhere else cheaper, can I buy online and get cashback? Do I actually really want said item. If it's clothing I go and have a search through my wardrobe to see if I already have something I'd forgotten about.

How about sticking up a SOA, we might be able to find the odd saving here and there you hadn't thought about?

Lucy1982_2

Hi Conrad

I would agree with that, I've friend near London (who drive a Volvo by the way) and you can tell the money - nice house, ok car. Not so much money, tiny house - Brand new BMW etc.

I'd rather fall into the first category, by the way I own a festia and I love it!!

shopsalot

Grazia! Shoots! Now your talking my language!

Unfortunately I have to confess to the BMW aswell (not brand new though) but cars is my other passion (shoes being my first)

I actually made the concious decision to not buy Grazia this week as I always see something I want to buy. I will let you know if I make it to next tuesday! Maybe there is challenge #3 - Grazia only once a month.

This is all going to drive me crazy, think I should slow down - dont want to burn out in the first week.

Toto

I get it on subscription. That way it only costs £1 per week and you get a lovely free gift with it. And it's on quidco so you get cashback too.

Toto

As for seeing things I want in there, I get that going on too. Usually the £1500 pair of shorts or something dumb. So, I then have a look around to see what I can get on the high street for a more sensible price. I also ebay everything I haven't worn in 6 months to fund my passion for clothes.

It's pointless telling people like us to stop buying clothes. I can't do it, every flippin season there is a new trend I love. I've always been like that and always will be. But you can do it in a MSE way, you do need to take a little self control out with you to the shops though, failing that always keep the receipts to take those impulse buys back when the guilt kicks in.

slowlyfading

shopsalot wrote: »

I actually made the concious decision to not buy Grazia this week as I always see something I want to buy. I will let you know if I make it to next tuesday! Maybe there is challenge #3 - Grazia only once a month.

This is all going to drive me crazy, think I should slow down - dont want to burn out in the first week.

I totally agree with you on this one. I was buying all the gossip magazines every week, and then the monthly ones as well and when I sat down and added it up I was spending ££ on magazines every week/month that I just looked at for about an hour if that, and then threw away.
If Grazia is the magazine you read all the time - why not try a subscription? I see Toto has already suggested this and its a great idea. My housemates this year, for my birthday, got me (between 4 of them) a year's subscription to Vogue magazine and for me that was the best present! so you could drop hints as well
sf x

Shineyhappy

Hiya!

I used to see shopping as a recreational activity, like going to see a film or going to the zoo, but when I got my flat all that changed. I couldnt afford to buy things just because they were nice or because I fancied going to Marks and buying 40 pounds worth of treat food. I stopped buying magazines and newspapers because I went on a green drive for lent and I have to admit that I prefer being without them.

I hate going shopping now and the magazines just scream greed to me, staying away from the continual advertising that we see really does make a difference to your motivation to want to shop and less you have to do with it the less you want to shop.

You may find this or you may miss it, why not set yourself a challenge and see how you feel after maybe 2 months away from shops and glossy magazines trying to tempt you to spend?

Good luck to you on your quest and you may find selling on Ebay replaces the spending high that most of us like only there isnt any guilt involved.

Best wishes!