The challenge....

It is no secret that I, Emma Louise Waterfield, am a shopaholic. It is also no secret that my addiction to shopping or just buying in general has left me with a debt that quite possibly keeps the Market Harborough branch of HSBC in business. But after many years of spend, spend, spend I have decided that it's time to sort my life out and my finances along with it.

Although in some ways I can be the most determined little madam on the planet, trying to overcome my shopping habit is not something that my will power can uphold so instead I have decided to make my battle public. Hopefully by creating a blog about it I will be able to curb my spending once and for all. Usually if someone tells me that I can't do something then I will want to prove them wrong, but this is different.

I can't even begin to explain the excitement of buying something makes me feel.... if I'm having a bad day I just go into a shop get something shiny and new in exchange for handing over a piece of plastic. All of a sudden my troubles have lifted and I feel so happy and excited to take home my spangly new dress/jacket/handbag/shoes. I know it's sad, but I'm actually telling the truth.... shopping can solve anything!



If you have ever been in my bedroom then you will know that there are two wardrobes rammed full of clothes, dresses hung on the back of my door, one wardrobe has more clothes hanging on the outside, while the other is strewn with handbags and I have scarves draped all over my DVD player stand. I could possibly dress in a different outfit everyday for a month, yet I still want more. What makes it even worse is that I don't have cheap taste either.... my favourite brands are Ted Baker, Religion, Firetrap, Full Circle and French Connection. The horrifying thing about this is that half of my clothes will leave my ownership barely even being worn.

My extravagant spending doesn't end there either.... I also have a DVD collection that could easily rival Blockbuster, an ever growing music collection and a need to buy tickets to every single gig/concert or show that I want to see. Music is my life and my CD collection isn't even the half of it.... I have a massive iTunes library and have been known to spend £50 at a time in the store for several albums as there are no music shops in this little town of Market Harborough to speak of. None that sell music by the bands that I want anyway.

I should probably also point out that I have a lot of hair products.... this however is because of my job, not my shopping habit. I work in Hair PR.

You see I have two problems.... I get bored very easily and also have the inability to say no!

In writing this blog I am setting myself the challenge only to buy what I NEED and not just what I WANT. If I am being honest, in the past few months I have learnt to budget but this has just lead to me living within my means, I am now trying to save money. This challenge also means that I need to be honest with my spending and I will be openly shaming myself in my blog posts.

Watch this space.... xx