Sentence or spree?

Three years - a prison sentence or a shopping spree?

The Daily Mail ran a feature today (with a little contribution from myself) on how many years the average woman spends shopping and it came in at roughly two years and ten months.

I dread to think what my total would have been if I hadn’t reined in my retail therapy when I did.

The article and talking to its writer has given me the kick start I needed to embark on a few months of minimalism again. I’ve noticed recently that little items and unnecessary indulgences are slipping back into my basket.

I know the warning signs now - the panic buy; the ‘essential item’ that will transform my wardrobe and the subsequent, desperate hunt to find it; spending £40 in Boots and then realising that all I’ve bought are sets of false eyelashes that I will NEVER wear.

So, I’m going back to basics for a while.

I’ve also been very neglectful of my blog lately.

The excitement of Spring, and all the good things I was hoping it would bring, have given me rather a lot to think about and do.

As well as another round of stopping shopping, I’ve made a few more decisions - with the help of Kevin & Hobbs - that I hope will work out towards changing all of our lives for the better and I can't wait to share them.

Me & Miss Jones

It’s been a busy week here at the House of Hall, with a poorly patient to look after (I’m delighted to report that he’s getting a little better and a little cheekier each day) and all of his visitors to keep fed and watered.

In between episodes of tea and sympathy, I’ve been going back to my old habit of logging on and reading the newspapers online.

Initially, I did it to stop spending money on magazines and papers that would lie unread for months before being tipped into the recycle bin, then I realised that as well as saving a small fortune, I was also saving a small forest by not wasting all that paper.

Anyway, last week, whilst having a browse through the Daily Mail, I saw that another shopaholic has held up her Gucci gloved hands and confessed to having fallen foul of debt.

Despite being the highest paid columnist in the UK - how, I wish I had her job - Liz Jones has admitted to around 150 thousand pounds worth of debt.

Liz Jones

Interestingly enough, she has adopted exactly the same technique I did before my shopping ban, which was to completely bury my head in the sand, ignore any mail that might be a bill, and refuse to add it all up and face the awful truth.

As I’m sure hundreds of other debt-busting bloggers will agree, the only way to tackle this is head on.

So, welcome to our world Liz and here is a little advice...

Hang on to the things you truly love, work out how you can survive without all the rest, then draw up an action plan to get your finances back on track and stick to it!

It’s the only way and it’ll be a rough ride without your retail therapy to see you through, but at the end, you might just become a better person for it.