Addicted to Shopping

It's payday and it's raining heavily outside. I'm stuck with the dilemma of getting absolutely soaked, but being able to shop or staying at home looking a lot more respectable, but missing the launch of the new Topshop in my town. In retrospect, the second statement is probably the most appropriate. I'll be able to save money and stay dry, however I can't help, but want to shop. I know for a fact that there's nothing I'm really setting out to buy, but the thrill of coming home with something new, shiny and spontaneous is incredibly tempting right now. 

I think my new coin purse sent to me by Fashion Perks sums me up correctly. I'm an addict. Not in the conventional way that I'm in hot sweats suffering from shopping withdrawals, but I probably like to shop a little bit too much. If I say the words: "Darling, I'm going to treat myself today" once more to my partner, I think he's going to explode. It has become a running joke where he wakes up every morning and says:" Is it treat day today?" The majority of the time he is correct. I count far too many days as treat days, rather than waiting for something special. I'm an avid consumer of the fashion and beauty market and it's probably spiralling a bit out of control.

Admittedly I've never been into my overdraft and always paid off my credit card each month, so really i'm not that bad, but with wedding preparations, moving house and a lot more life changes to contend with this year, I really need to get my finances in check and here's how I intend to do it.

Make use of all my coins

When I was in my earlier teenager years, I was one of those really ungrateful people that hated having copper coins in my purse and would happily chuck them away. When you get older, it's easier to see the value of money and the fact that all those little copper coins you once hated can add up to so much more than you expected. I'm hoping with my new coin purse that I will be able to spend more of my coins instead of taking out a fresher new £10 note at a cash machine all the time or at least put them in a coin jar. The slogan on this purse is something that I really need to focus on, I'm a shopping addict and I need control.

Start a savings account

In 2 hours and 12 months I'll be walking down the aisle to greet my future husband. That means I have just less than 12 months to make sure all my wedding is paid off and a deposit or bond for our future house is in place. It's quite scary when you're only used to saving a couple of hundred in your account and then suddenly you're forking out £5,000 and that's just for the venue alone. A savings account and regular contributions are definitely the way forward. Me and James already have the majority of our wedding money saved, but every little helps. 

Research before buying

Finally, I really need to start researching products before actually buying them. I've admitted it before, but i'm such an impulsive buyer. There has been many missed opportunities where I could have bought products or clothing so much cheaper at other stores.

Do you have any money saving tips?