stopping-shopping

My back is a lot better so I was able to go out at lunchtime today and have a bit of a browse in the shops for the first time this week. I was very restrained but found it a constant struggle to talk myself out of purchases. I'm needing (yep actually needing) a new pair of flat summer sandals something like mock birkenstocks or havaiana flip flops. The problem is I'm hard on footwear, I destroy cheap shoes in a matter of weeks and so it’s a false economy to buy £6 sandals from Primark which I'll shred before the summer really arrives. I have seen a lovely pair of white leather flat slip on mules in M+S but they are £35 and I can't afford them...so I walked straight past. I have previously sworn off toe post sandals as I always find them very uncomfortable, in fact I remember two summers ago throwing every pair of flip flops in the house out after developing a painful blister. Allegedly havaianas are the pinnacle of flip flop comfort and longevity, a forum I frequent...

Splendidly non spendy weekend. Saturday: went to the nearby children's farm with rare breed animals with DH, DD and DG ( dearest grandpa aka my Dad). DG paid for our admission and treated us to ice creams! DD fell in the playarea and did no harm to herself but as I picked her up I felt something horrible happen to my back and I'm now in a lot of pain. I talked to my Dad honestly about my "problem" and although he isn't entirely convinced that it's an addiction he was very supportive and didn't get angry. He got a little judgemental but I told him "yes I've been stupid" and "no I wasn't thinking of the long term consequences, but I am resolved to sort this out once and for all" It was the right thing to do I think, the more people who are supporting me, the harder it will be to slide back into old habits. DH and I went to the cinema on Sat night with DG babysitting...we may have spent a lot on ice cream, in my defence it made my ...

Progress! I have organised collection of bedside drawers (monday) I have returned top to M+S ( bought 10 days ago, worn once then shrank in the wash) I resisted exchanging top for something of similar value. I looked at M+S sale and was resolute against the lure of the children's wear section. I picked up tights £3, socks £2, top £4 and dressing gown £3 all for my 3 yo DD but put them all back as she doesn't NEED any of those things right now. So £153 worth of things will be credited to the bank account and I didn't spend £12 on unnecessary items. Awesome work, go me, I officially ROCK! I was a bit wobbly after leaving the shop so had to ring DH to tell him how strong I was being..which probably means I'm not that strong yet, but hey ho it's a good start don't you think?

Today I am sorely tempted to stray from the path of nonspenditude . About 6 weeks ago at the start of my latest binge I ordered 2 bedside tables from a UK catalogue company ( littlewoods ) for £69 each. Today they were delivered while we were at work. I had been meaning to cancel the order and got as far as ringing littlewoods on Tuesday but the call centre must have been on lunch because a nice recorded message told me to try later. So cancelling slipped my mind and here they are in all their flatpack glory. I have to call Littlewoods and get a collection number and then ring the shipping company and arrange a collection and I would much rather just keep them! I'm rationalising like a mad woman: " the money has already left the bank" " we need new bedside drawers" ---we totally do! "£69 is a very good price and you have been looking for nice bedside drawers for ages " ---the past 8 years actually! But the cold, hard, inescapable truth is that we ca...

Who are you? How do you define yourself? Right now I feel vulnerable and flimsy, I've just cut myself off from two of my most abused shopping options. Amazon have a great time saving option called "one click" ordering, you simply ask the site to remember your address and payment details and then you can order anything with one click. This is a very bad thing if you are an impulse driven instant gratification shopper, ie me! I love Amazon, they stock many of my favourite disparate things : Le Creuset pans, Estee Lauder moisturiser and the more obvious books and dvds, but tonight I cut myself off. I have deleted my credit card details from the one click system and as I'm not physically in posession of a credit card I can't re-enter them in a weak moment. Paypal is my other nemesis, send money to etsy vendors at the drop of a hat, oooh yes please! Buy things drunkenly from ebay late at night mmmmmmm that's me. Well not anymore it isn't, I have deleted my cred...

Here's an example of how I'm changing my behaviour, totally obvious to the normal spenders out there but for me a real breakthrough. Yesterday I decided that as I love Kat von D I should look at her website, browse a bit and see a link to Sephora for her makeup range. Beauty products are a total trigger for me, I have so much stockpiled that I could probably do make up for a west end run of Rocky Horror. Inner monologue "I like KvD, I'd like to look a bit like her, *browses website* KvD did a make up line with Sephora?! *go to Sephora.com* Sephora don't ship to the UK...bum :( Maybe someone on ebay is selling to the UK, I'll just look *open ebay window* oooh £26 for 8 eyeshadows in a funky palette, available for £2 p+P AND IT'S ON A BUY IT NOW *start to smile as I imagine getting compliments on eyeshadow* I could BIN and pay through paypal, my CC is linked to paypal so two clicks and bingo I will own a ltd edition sephora palette and everyone will love my e...

"Hello my name is Jen and I'm addicted to shopping" I am starting this blog in an effort to change. My life is comfortable and happy bar this shameful secret. This weekend I confessed all to my husband, who wasn't exactly surprised by my admissions but is I think surprised that I'm identifying as an addict. Addict is the correct word to describe me. I fixate on a particular product and enjoy researching it online, could be a handbag, a brand of makeup or a tent, I'm a unilateral shopper! Take last weekend for example, I had decided that we needed to replace our family tent with a canvas bell tent and so I joined fora and researched the different options even emailing the two main suppliers to negotiate a discount for buying a tent, carpet and inner tent in one fell swoop.....BONKERS! Our tent is fine and is less than two years old and yet I was nano seconds away from ordering £700 worth of camping kit on a CC with 16% interest. I ...