With the cost of the weekly shopping bill steadily increasing, now would be a good time to review your domestic shopping habits.

Theo Paphitis, star of Dragon’s Den, claims that he would rather stick razor-sharp pins through his eyes than shop at Lidl. Lid,l for those of you who don’t know, is a discount supermarket chain of German origin with 7000 stores in 17 countries. When I read that article recently, in the Times, it made me laugh out loud. Not so long ago, I would have said something similar. For years, I have been a shop and label brand snob when it came to shopping for food. Continue reading »

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Shopping, whether we love it or hate it, has become a major part of our lives. The reasons for going shopping vary from simply satisfying basic needs to fulfilling our wildest dreams. We can’t go anywhere without images of things and stuff we ‘must have’ entering our space. However, shopping is serious business and behind the glitz and glamour is something that can be hazardous to both your health and wealth.

I came across an article about shopping addiction, and it describes in some detail the associated behaviours. The article was short, interesting and a real eye opener. It made my think about my own shopping behaviour. Continue reading »

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Millions of us are in the grip of a ‘spendemic’ – piling up debts on credit cards and overdrafts. Locked into an endless cycle of debt, borrowing and spending, from which few of us manage to escape.

If this sounds familiar, here are some of the top reasons we get into debt:

1. Trying to Keep up With the Jolies

…or what’s been dubbed ‘The Hello Factor’- desperately trying to keep up with the whims and vagaries of show business fashion. Millions of people are being driven towards debt because they’re trying to keep up with celebrity covergirls.

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