Well, what could be more personal than talking about money and finances, and what your relationship is like with money. Do you work well together ? Do you get on, are you good at saving your pennies.
For me, money goes through my hands like water, I should appreciate it much more. I know deep down I should be popping my spare pennies in a little money pot and look forward to watching those pennies grow and prosper, to be spent on a rainy day. Though I am very much a live for the day kind of girl, retirement and having funds to spend when I am old and grey seems such a long, long way away. Though know it shall be here before I know it. So, for me I spend for the now, I shop to my hearts content ( though not my husband's) and I would certainly have me down as somewhat of a shopoholic. I think credit cards can have their place, if used carefully, wisely and with the respect they deserve. When I worked as cabin crew, I ended up being grounded, along with other crew members in Tenerife, one of the aircraft tyre's needed repairing and we ended up in Tenerife for a couple of days whilst the aeroplane was being fixed. My trusty credit card came in useful when stuck abroad, with no cash so to speak of. Amongst my own local supermarket, when one can get lots of lovely local produce, I like to shop with Tesco, and they even have their own Tesco Credit Card and I think as long as one goes in with ones eyes wide open, and a good financial head on ones shoulders, credit cards can be used wisely.
As for me....well I could have the shopping personality to get myself in a little trouble ;0) I mean look at this photograph of my kitchen table with some of my shopping on, not all bought in one go, I must say.
And how many Cath Kidston crush mugs do I really need....
There are more in cupboards, *embarrassed icon*
Blogging I have found to be very influential, and perhaps some of us shopping fans can be quite influenced by each other's pretty buys, I know I can be, I may even be saving money in my own way if I didn't read so many pretty blogs where shopping is shared, I am sooooooo easily led, and I lOVE pretty things in my home.
So would you own up, are you good with money. I am a nosy olde sort and would love to know if any of you are as norty as I am with those pretty pieces of paper one can hand over at something called a till point, and in exchange get something ever so pretty handed over in return....
X
I would say I'm not a spendthrift nor frugal, somewhere in between. I like value for money and would say I'm sensible, well mostly.
ReplyDeleteI am a spendthrift through and through and at one stage spent myself into terrible credit card debt - but oh the fun I had!
ReplyDeleteNow that I have cleared the debt I am a bit more careful but if I am honest, I am a cash spendthrift now! Mind you I now own just about everything I need! LOL!
Guilty as charged. I love shopping and money slips through my fingers too. I don't have a credit card though and don't go overdrawn. I do spend a fortune on craft equipment and books though. Oh, and lots of charity shop stuff for renovating...
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're alone! I used to spend alot when I worked full time and had a good salary. Now that I'm a full time mum I'm much more careful as I feel it's not my money to spend. I did run up some debt on a credit card about 10 years ago, I learnt my lesson - I hated the feeling of being in debt. I paid it all off and we now always clear our credit card spends each month. We also use the cards to our advantage and collect tesco points and boots points through the year to spend at Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSeriously though - you have a LOT of cath k mugs! :-O
I must admit, I am quite like you when it comes to the whole money thing. I love to shop and buy myself all sorts of things, from pretty things for my home, magazines, clothing, handbags, crafting supplies,you name it. Thankfully I have a good head on my shoulders though and don't go too overboard, but I do know, that I really should be saving more than I do. It's just so hard when there are so many wonderful things out there just calling my name.
ReplyDeleteI'm not great with money, but I'm not really a brand new shopper these days - I'm afraid I'm an ebay addict, I like the thrill of a bargain and the challenge of finding something unusual x
ReplyDeleteto keep the answers in balance, I would say 'no' I'm not spendy. I have never had the money to be spendy, sadly. I only buy what I need so before I spend, I say to myself 'do I really need this?' If the answer is 'no' then I don't buy it. It's sad really because if I could, I would and I've often wished I could just have one year where I could buy whatever I wanted.
ReplyDeleteI am not being rewarded for my frugality however. I was going to retire when I was 60 but that is only one year away now and the government have moved the goalposts! Now I have to wait another 1 yr and 8 months before I get my pension. I hate shocks like that, don't you.
I will say here though that I enjoy very much seeing what you are buying.
Blessngs, Star
I'm another No! Been there got the t-shirt and the debt to match; years ago when I was young and daft. If it's stuff you can afford and you have enough for your essentials withouth getting into debt, go for it! I am careful with every single pound, because the days when I had nothing are still so fresh in my mind it's hard to let go.
ReplyDeleteKandi x
I'm pretty good with money and keep a very close track of our spending. We do have credit cards but always pay them off every month, but we don't have much in the way of savings, something which worries me slightly. I do find that blog reading and magazines do give me a bad case of "the wanties" though, and I was rather horrified when I added up recently just how much I had spent this year on stuff like fabric, etsy and craft books! Something I hope to remedy next year!
ReplyDeleteDo feel free to be inspired! 37 would be easy! I could have done more!! Hope you are well and nice and busy, I certainly am! lots of orders!! Speak soon xx
ReplyDeleteI am better than I used to be, but that's partly because I have very little time to shop now. I love second had things, things like Cath Kidston don't interest me nor do any other designer goods. The things I spend my money on now are the gym, exercise classes, beauty treatments and electrical goods.
ReplyDeleteI have paid off most of my debts now and don't use credit cards, but then I earn a good wage so don't need to worry so much now. I guess I don't spend beyond my means.
I guess maybe the reality is that parents probably should start saving now for deposits on houses - the number of people I know who will NEVER be able to afford to leave home is shocking!
I personally love a good spending spree :) although I have always been raised to count my pennies and put serious thought into anything I buy (i am VERY good at finding reasons why I need pretty things I find out and about.) I tend to set myself a certain amount of money to one side in "the rainy day fund." and then can spend the rest without any guilt :D unfortunately lately spare funds and rainy day money have become one and the same and have all gone away! But that is what pay day is for ;) xx
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your insightful and personal replies, have really enjoyed reading. Seems I am not the only norty one. Though on a serious note, I have got myself in the past, into alot of debt, especially when a student as have always had the shopping habit. I think at one point I had maybe 7 store cards. Don't own one these days. Shopping habits etc are a new post altogether, as I do think there are perhaps emotion related reasons on why one spends so much on things that perhaps one doesn't necessarily need.
ReplyDeleteX
Having been in debt and not being able to see a way out (which is a truly terrifying place to be) I could never overspend on unnecessary stuff now. 'Stuff' loses it's shine within minutes/hours/days of buying it, yet paying for it can take years. I think we're at opposite ends of the spectrum Mary! xx
ReplyDeleteI was always good with money .... but moving to London on a civil service wage was my downfall and I began to rely heavily on my credit card .... kept transferring balances and taking out loans to pay it off ... then spending more. Two years ago I decided that "enough was enough" and have been paying off the damned thing ever since. On 1 December 2010 I will be able to proudly announce that I have NOTHING on my credit card ... and it will be stowed away somewhere safe for emergencies!
ReplyDeleteGoing on maternity leave and know that I only have 6 months on my full salary has been an eyeopener! No more frittering away on random stuff for me! My last full salary is paid at the end of Jan ... and I go onto 3 months of just statutory and 3 months of nothing before going back to work ... so I will have to make sure I am sensible and thrifty (oh! but I do love pretty things!!!)
xx
I am absolutely rubbish with money, although we did pay off our credit cards this summer and I now only spend what's in my current account. Saying that though, I managed to get through about £450 last weekend at the Country Living fair at Glasgow - buying loads of stuff we didn't need - so I'm now scratching round until payday next week!!! I never learn though x
ReplyDeleteI am actually very good at picking out what things I NEED and stuff I just WANT. Although with my new hobby of pursuing the domestic arts I am having a harder time saying no to new gadgets I find on various pages lol
ReplyDeleteVery naughty here when it comes to christmas. xx
ReplyDeleteguilty!!!
ReplyDeletebut you have beaten me on CK mugs!
love
Lyn
xxx
I used to be absolutely horrendous with money. I'd just spend spend spend.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm on my own though, I am always aware of what's coming in and out of my account, I've actually started saving (who is this person??) and am able to have a little extra to play around with.
It definitely helps having been in a situation where I was completely skint, though it wasn't fun at the time to only be able to afford a tenner's worth of pressies for my kids at Christmas. *shudders*
I go through phases though. Some months I may buy quite a few things, others I just happily put it away.
I have noticed I spend more in the winter months (damn online shopping!) in comparison to the spring and summer. I guess I'm busier out and about then to think about it?
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI'm quite good with money and only spend what i've got but there is a very good reason for this, you see a few years ago [before my darling children] my husband and I both had good paying jobs, nice cars and a beautiful house and really didnt worry about how much things costs or what we spent, then our world came crashing down when my dh got very poorly very quickly, he was hospitalied and when discharged from hospital he was advised he couldnt work [for some time] - we lost everything, home cars the lot - at the time is was truly devastating but now he's better and we've come out the other side of that bad time - I never would have thought it but we appreciate everything so much more now and have never been happier - Life is great and so much more enjoyable.
All that said I still love to shop and treat my friends and family but I'm very careful now :)
Take care darling - Ju xxx
I think im quite frugal...now. When i was a student i lived like a there was no tomorrow, cute clothes, coffee's and nights out...so what i had a student loan and would get an amazing job with loads of cash..um, fast forward and there is only a part time job in the public sector. I pay back a student loan, try to save, but we sitll rent, and id love to own. I dont really get many things for myself, even when hubby offers beautiful things, i dont like to spend it on me...must change that attitude and find a happy medium though.
ReplyDeletex
I do love lovely things but do find it hard to spend sometimes which can be bad as well as good. The amount of times I have missed out on something due to shopping around grrr. I want to pay off my mortgage in the next few years so am trying to save to over pay that, then my time will come to spend spend spend :-)
ReplyDeleteI used to be REALLY bad with money... then I was really good with money and now I'm in the flat I'm somewhere in between!
ReplyDeleteVictoria xx
oh crikey i have to admit ... i hate shopping !
ReplyDeleteI am very careful with money and always stop and think if i need things ... i do like nice things though !
I buy things i like not because of a label and am a bit fed up with all the CK hype to be honest :o
I suppose fabric is my only weakness but then i need that for work and do have regular clearouts !