[aspirant]

Mel,

I share your pleasure at the thought of more Spendaholics to come!

I agree that the investigations into the emotional reasons for debt are wonderfully insightful (thanks to Bemjamin Fry) but there's very little in the programme on budget preparation.

That said, I think Spendaholics is unusual in covering the emotional angle, whereas there are lots of books and websites that already help with the nuts and bolts of money management.

There are plently that I've found easy to understanding and even inspiring, and I'll share the details if you'd find it helpful.

Good luck and best wishes.

Andy

[aspirant]

Sorry Benjamin. I know you're not Bemjamin!

[superbabe612]

Hi Mel,

Just to add my two-penneth worth, I borrowed a book from the library called 'Your Money or Your Life: A Practical Guide to Solving Your Financial Problems and Affording a Life You'll Love' by Alvin Hall, and I'd definitely recommend it. It includes sample balance sheets for personal spending, advises you to save a proportion of your wage, and that sort of thing, but in the short term just keep a diary of your spending so you can see where it all goes - after a month I could tell instantly where I needed to cut back! I keep a notebook with me at all times, and write down every single little thing I spend money on - it really makde a difference! You can decide what's important to you, what you could do without, and it was a big help to me. Then you budget for what you have to pay out in bills and so on, and how much you've got left. I made notes from the book before I returned it but I've just found it on www.amazon.co.uk for under £4 (used) if your library doesn't stock it.

Hope this helps!

Lizzie.

[aspirant]

Mel,

Lizzie's done a wonderful job of describing the approach that's taken in nearly all books on debt. I can support her recommendation of Alvin Hall. I think he's got a new series on TV later in the year, as well as several books.

If you really can't get round to budgetting on your own, have you considered contacting the Consumer Credit Counselling Service? Once you contact them, they arrange a telephone appointment at a time that suits you. In the meantime they post you a pack which explains how to go about working out your income, your essential spending and your debts. You get all the paperwork together, they call you at the time you both agreed, and then they go through creating a budget with you line by line. It really helps the process if you're providing answers to their questions, and they bring a lot of experience to the discussion, i.e. they know what an average person's phone or food bill is.

You end up with a monthly spending plan that they post to you, as well as solid advice about the best way to go forward with your debt.

They are top, top people. I know it sounds corny, but I felt a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders when I went through this process with them.

I can't recommend their help highly enough. It costs you nothing but the intial phone call to them, so there's almost nothing to lose.

I hope that's of some help.

Best wishes,

Andy

[aspirant]

Mel,

I'm pleased to hear that your debt is so (relatively) small. I know when I get down to only £500 I'll be a happy man (not that I'm too unhappy now!).

Can I ask something?

Is it the art of budgetting you want to know more about i.e. managing your money and being disciplined enough not to spend what you don't have?

Or is it more about getting more for your money i.e. living frugally, buying cheaply and making your money go further?

It's a subtle difference, but books tend to be written about one approach or the other. The best writer I've come across who combines both subjects is Mary Hunt. I can get more details if you're interested.

Best wishes,

Andy

[Benjamin Fry]

I'm writting a book on emotional spending. Since you are such a well researched customer, would you like to suggest what you might like to see in such a book?

[Deb]

Maybe in your book you could include some of the practical ways from your series about how to save money, or get what you want at a reasonable price. I liked the places you went like the restaurant where depending on what time you arrive, that is what you spend on your meal - good on the restauarnat that does that - and the other place Jay went to buy cut price designer clothes. But for the program, I wouldn't have known that such a restaurant existed.

I can add a practical idea, for people like me who love movies - getting an unlimited movie card from UGC. This only costs £9.99 a month outside London and not much more in the West End, and means you can go to as many in a month as you want. It makes for a very cheap night out - when was the last time movies cost less than £2 a pop, which is how much my card works out to.

[Earth-Born]

I love the show too, even though I am not a spendaholic. But I used to have probs with food, and I think they're all kind of related. It's about time these issues are being faced head on in the media. Defo the only programme I care to watch at the mo, other than The Brothel, which tickles my morbid fascination, and psychological mind too.
Peace.