Attention all shopaholics
I used to be a shopaholic and this film really hit home with me. Thankfully I've never had a credit card so have avoided a mountain of dbt like Becky's, but I do have a pretty substantial overdraft and have been in the red for about a year now. I'm gradually creeping out of it, but trust me it's been a hard slog! So I thought us shopaholics could share our money saving tips to make us all feel better =)
*make your own lunches for work. It's difficult at first and after the first week or so you'll start getting bored of ham sandwiches every single day, but I've found that it makes me think a lot more carefully about what I eat and actually prepare proper meals the night before rather than just grabbing a £3 sandwich plus drink and crisps from the shop across the road. Total weekly saving about £30.
*if you're out drinking with friends insist on buying your own drinks and not getting involved with rounds (not sure if this is the norm in America) so you can keep track of how much you've spent. It's pretty frustrating also when you have to buy a 4 person round and you've only stayed for two drinks! Better yet, resist the urge to go out at all if you're really strapped for cash. You'll feel a lot better in the morning without a hangover and that guilty feeling of spending too much the night before. Or better yet suggest girly nights in, rent some movies and get the wine flowing.
*leave your debit/credit card at home when out shopping or on a night out. Only take out as much as you think you'll need, plus a bit extra for emergancies (travel home etc) try and keep the emergancy money seperate so you're not tempted to spend it on 'just one more drink'. It's all too tempting to hit the cash machine and take out another £30 when you're a bit piddled. Your wallet and your liver will thank you!
*Instead of buying completely new outfits, have a rummage through your own wardrobe and see what new outfits you can put together with your existing clothes. Get creative and try something new. If you must buy new clothes, by 'staple clothes' ie. items that can be versitile and worn with pretty much anything. Resist the urge to buy anything you don't need. The feeling of walking out of a shop without bags of clothes you'll never wear will soon outweigh the feeling of having a bag full of new clothes.
*If you have a weakness for ebay or amazon, cancel your paypal and 'buy now with one click' imediately. You might think twice about purchases when you actually stop and look at how much they cost.
*If you're going out for a night out with freinds, eat dinner at home, or invite everyone round to eat at home before you go out. You'll save money not paying pub prices for food and can have a couple of cheaper drinks before you head out.
*If your bank has this facility, sign up for text alerts on your current balance and when you're nearing your overdraft limit. I was awful at checking my online account and always too chicken to get a mini-statement at the cash point so it's really helped in budgeting for my weekend when I know how much (or little) I have in my account.
These are all my tips. Feel free to add =)
"It's a Fez. I wear a Fez now. Fez's are cool"