The Spendaholics Anonymous Thread!

savingwannabe

I think this is a great location for your thread. Good luck.

MJasonChilton

Thank you for your response savingswannabe. I appreciate it! It felt great to get that out. Whew!

bratz81

would anyone mind I posted on this thread too?

I'm Lesley and I'm a spendaholic

I'm trying to do better by working out a budget and taking out that money at the start of the month, and only spending that, but my problem is internet shopping. I read a magazine, or see something on a forum, about makeup or some shampoo or whatever, and I buy it online and don't seem to figure out the money comes out of my bank account then I don't have enough left for food or whatever

So...I've removed my credit and debit cards from M&S, paypal, Amazon etc, so I can't just make a click and spend. I have to find my purse and type in the details and hopefully this will deter me....

It's got the stage I'm starting to feel guilty about every little thing. I live alone and have bills, plus trying to overpay on debts to get rid of them quicker, so I don't have a lot of money to throw about. My 'disposable' income just for me is £50 a month, so why do I think it's ok to also spend £20 on a top or makeup?!?!?!

This is my first month of really trying to beat this...and I need all the support I can get!

darwins_mum

Hi all, I am Darwins-mum and I am a spendaholic. I have amassed 13k of unsecured debt and have no idea what it went on, apart from shoes, clothes, cr*p generally. I shant mention 2 previous re-mortgages used to consolidate after compulsive overspending. I couldnt tell you where any of that money went to either apart from a new bathroom and a loft conversion. Funny enough the loft conversion was used for ages to store all of the rubbish I purchased. Trying to rent it out to a lodger in an attempt to recoup some of my losses.
I have just started a dmp with cccs - wish I had done it years ago.
I have been living frugally for most of 2010, but just had a blow out on clothes. I was bored of shopping in charity shops, ebay items just didnt do it for me. recently when I was feeling emotional about my recent relationship breakdown, I treated myself. what a treat - finances for next month are a little derailed. Bored of that behaviour, so though I would join the thread. I have slowly been decluttering the house, have sent most of it to charity shops, with a few items that may fetch a few pence on ebay - will wait for free listing day.
Going to make the effort to get back on the frugal living bandwagon and stay out of the shops.

hattiefats

I'm a reformed spendaholic but the urge still gets me every now and again! I spent £300 not long ago on something I don't even use (designer handbag). I was completely debt free after previously running up over £9000 on buying absolute rubbish! I got great advice on here about how to check my spending and have reined it back in and cut up the credit card. I worked out I had zero on my cards but a total of £17000 available credit. I knew if I kept it £300 would turn into £3000 and so on! When I'm in the mood for spending I now put stuff in a wishlist and go back a few days later. I never still want to buy it!!! There is a real satisfaction about swapping spending for saving and I'm slowly getting better at it!!

an9i77

I would describe myself as a shopping bulimic, used to just spend but now I spend but only on the condition that it's money that's either come out of my budget (I set myself a reasonable monthly budget) or money that I've 'made' through either ebaying or things I have bought and then returned.

So I end up doing lots of shopping, lots of taking back (or selling on t'bay) end up just about controlling the amount of money I am spending but it does my head in as the compulsion to spend is always there. And then I have to take the bloody things back to get the money back to spend more. Crazy isn't it.

I have had addiction issues in the past (food, other stuff) and have definitely been a compulsive shopper in the past but now I am trying to save some money up due to being pregnant, I feed my addiction by buying and returning, or selling on ebay, which really is then same as what a bulimic person would be like with food.

I need to stop because even if it doesn't cost me more than I budget for, it is ruining my peace of mind and I know it is unhealthy.

I think I just need to develop more fulfilling activities to do, but when the shops are calling....

Anyone else like this?

bratz81

Hi an9i77, yeah I think I'm a bit like this. I give myself a monthly budget for disposable income, say £50, and think it's ok to go mad and spend it all....but then sometimes it's gone half way through the month and I'm skint, or an emergency crops up and I have to put it on the credit card

Definitely need to stop this, and this month I'm making a concerted effort to not spend all my money too soon, or on stuff I don't need.
I have slightly failed already this month, I bought a cookbook for £3.77, which I guess isn't too much, and spent £18 on essential oils. however, they are being used to make Xmas presents. I make my own soap, candles, shower gels etc and the oils last a while. The cookbook is the takeaway secret and tells you how to make takeaway food at home, so will save money on eating out.

downcdebt

I feel all your pain! I have somehow spent far too much money on ebay- only cheap stuff...but it all adds up. The last couple of months have been a real nightmare what with unforseen bills, weddings, hen dos etc and i'm now well back into my overdraft. So why why why do I not curb the ebay spending. sigh. Sometime my debt seems sooo huge and debt free day soo far away, that my brain goes "ahhh £20 is nothing- a drop in the ocean"..
Good luck to all with the saving....

MinniMe_2

Hi I'm Minnime and I'm a shopaholic!

Although I have been making good inroads into my debt I still find myself in teh shops thinking - a wee treat will do me good!

I find the easiest way not to spend is to not go to the shops, only works for so long though and then I end up on the internet shopping. My worst is makeup, if it promises to solve x y or Z I'll give it a go and just can't stop myself!

its so hard at the minute too with all the offers on everywhere!

an9i77

My friends I can relate to you all! I think the addiction is to the actual act of shopping, rather than having lots of stuff (for me anyway) as half the time once I get home with it I lose interest in it anyway, so maybe the answer is to stay out of the shops except for special occasions/circumstances. I mean a recovering alcoholic wouldn't go down the boozer now would they?
But yes there's always the internet, can't get away from that so easily - although the hassle involved in ordering stuff, waiting for it to arrive, taking it back etc can sometimes be a deterrent.
I'm not a shopaholic so much as a sales-aholic, once I see the sales signs it's like a red rag to a bull and things I previously wasn't that interested in suddenly become the most covetable things in the world once I see how much they are reduced by. And it's so easy to think, ooh £20 off I'm saving £20 when no i'm not , I'm spending whatever it costs me in the first place!

So the january sales is a real danger time for me, I can just about control myself until then but at sales-time I just go crazy!

Maybe I need to be locked away after christmas until all the good sales are over!