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I have an illness. It’s called 'the wanties'. I don’t think it is hereditary but I am fairly sure that it’s contagious. I seem to catch it from my Mum, my sister, my friends and my bloddies. Admittedly some days it is worse than others but it’s always there - an illness that I will have to deal with for the rest of my life. I think I am beyond cure now but I have found ways to make the symptoms more manageable for my husband and me. I have tried many things but the most effective approach, I have found, is to have savings. I don’t have much in the way of savings at any one time but the money we have kept by has certainly helped me through the more serious bouts of the illness.
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| My current spending obsession - this smells amazing! Have bought two bottles of the shower gel since our spa trip! |
Joking aside, I do sometimes feel as though I am cursed with an illness called the wanties. An ex of mine always called me a ‘marketeer’s dream’. He was so right. I am a sucker for marketing tricks; nice styling and special offers having me reaching for my wallet every time. I have always read lots of magazines which add fuel to the fire but now I’ve discovered blogging I am even worse. No wonder so many ad agencies have cottoned on to the power of the blogger’s review; the rapport between bloggers can be very strong and a review by someone whose opinions you have come to trust can be very powerful indeed. If the lovely Vanessa, for example, recommends a book it’s in my Amazon basket quicker than you can say ‘crochet’. If Lucy shares the gorgeous colourful photos of her Spring bulbs, my supermarket shop is a teeny bit more expensive that week as hyacinths and daffodils sneak their way into the trolley.
I used to think that credit cards were the way to deal with the wanties. Stick everything on the credit card and worry later. Instant gratification. Then I married a bank manager who frowned upon my frivolous spending. (I caved; it’s a sexy frown let me tell you.) Now I have ‘pocket money’ each week and if I don’t spend it, I save it. The money goes into my savings account and enables me to have a proper splurge when the wanties hit hard. It is amazing how easy it is for me to control the wanties when I know that I have the means to make a guilt-free purchase. Savings are so precious to me that I think twice, often thrice, before hitting the ‘confirm order’ button. This makes me happy - I feel liberated and in control - when I buy something that I’ve thought long and hard about, I am even more grateful for it. Andrew’s happy, too. No more cheery announcements of "baked beans for dinner all week I’m afraid, darling, but I do have the most gorgeous handbag you’re going to just LOVE".
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| My new and beloved De Manta clutch bag. Paid for with the pocket money I saved. Yay me! |
Hope everyone is having a good week! So glad it's nearly the weekend, I've got loads planned including a bit of shopping at a local vintage fair and afternoon tea with my oldest friend before she gets married on Monday.
Thanks for popping by - I need to catch up on loads of blogs this weekend as I feel a bit out of touch. With these gorgeously sunny evenings I just have to be outside! :-)
x
