[crappotheclown]

Hello everyone. I've been reading through the posts here as I've been watching Spendaholics since it came on and have been interested on what people have to say about it. I really enjoy watching it, for a start it makes my debts look small which is always a sigh of relief (and mine are from uni so that's kind of allowed) and I like the way they try and be creative about the ways you can change your attitude towards material possessions and your past. I wish someone could do that for me, all the doctors in the world don't seem to know what to do. I have a borderline personality if that means anything. I can relate to the sadness and loneliness in the participants' spending even though I don't spend any money on myself... I kind of have the opposite problem, I feel like I don't deserve nice things. Saying that I do have a lot of cheap books and records. I think Benjamin is really funny, trying on that big puff coat made me and my sister laugh out loud and the way he just legged it away from that bloke and left him with a map in the middle of no where. Also he has the most expressionless face I have ever seen. Jay is quite a lot like a mum- she seems to spend most of the show in coffee shops! Anyway, I just wanted to share that with anyone who cares. Thanks for reading.

[suzy]

Hi there,

I've just replied to your reply on my thread and I wanted to reply to your thread too...(if that makes sense!)

I'm a huge Spendaholics fan too and I always enjoy watching it. I think Benjamin and Jay are brilliant and I've been so inspired by the creative methods used to help people - I loved the idea of putting stickers on your credit cards to make you stop and think about spending! I loved the moment where Benjamin tried on that big coat too! I would love to have a best friend like Jay and I always wonder where she gets her fantastic lip gloss from! She always looks great. Both Benjamin and Jay seem to be big scarf fans too!

I'm sorry to hear that you are having difficulties - it must be very hard and frustrating when the doctors don't seem to know what to do to help you. I can relate to your sadness and loneliness and I understand the feeling that you don't deserve nice things....I often feel those things too.

Maybe we can keep in touch and support each other.

Take care

Suzy x

[crappotheclown]

ahhh thank you! that's made my day!
I'm a big BBC3 watcher actually, i really enjoyed the body image series and house of tiny tearaways. I think I'd like to work for them one day! I like my comedy too, particularly (BBC3 wise anyway) the Mighty Boosh.
I am glad to see the scarf making an appearance in spendaholics too, i love them! I only had a credit card that i only used once so i was lucky there. Spendaholics did inspire me to cut it up though, after i got a kind of relief seeing a girl on there doing it. i must have got a bit wrapped up in the emotion of it all.
have you read benjamin's book? i haven't but i'd be interested in hearing your opinion.
Anyway, I'm helen and I'm 24, I work in the University of Wales and I love cats and writing.
Big smiles to you!
xxxx

[suzy]

Hi Helen!

I'm a big BBC3 fan too, as well as Spendaholics (my favourite) I've been watching Freaky Eaters and I also watched the body image series. I also like watching comedy especially Peter Kay, Peep Show and Little Britain.

I haven't read Benjamin's book yet but I'd like to - I'm thinking of buying it now I can finally afford it! I'm a big fan of Benjamin's work and all the book reviews I've read have been excellent so I'm sure it will be a good buy and I can justify the purchase to myself! After two and a half years of paying off debts I now find it hard to justify spending money on myself!

You're very sensible only having one credit card and only using it once - I wish I had been that sensible! I always found it very inspiring when people on Spendaholics cut their cards up - I loved the moment where Jay just cut them up for one girl who looked very shocked! I always find the psychological parts of the programme very emotional.

By the way I'm 32 and I live and work in Pembrokeshire and I love reading and writing.

Take care.

Suzy x

[crappotheclown]

Hello chick!
I'm happy to find other BBC3 fans on the web, no one round here seems to watch it much. What do hink of BBC4? I like it too, although I watch more of 3, I'm enjoying their Saki series at the moment. Lemony Snicket the original! Which body image ones did you like best? I enjoyed the 34 stone teenager above all, mainly because I thought that Bethany was the sweetest girl ever and I could really see she was a good person struggling with a lot of shit. I think we can all relate to someone like that.
My favourite comedies are Yes Minister, League of Gentlemen, Brass Eye, the Day today, Nathan Barley... I love political and social comedies. Mostly British. The only American one I like is Curb Your Enthusiasm. I'd love to write a comedy series for BBC3, that would kind of be my dream. I wrote one set in a care home but i thought in the end it would work better as a novel.
Have you cut up your credit cards now? If not I strongly recommend it! The relief you get is the same as having a strong drink when you're really stressed! I really want to clear my debts with my (evil corporate) bank and move to CO-OP account which don't spend my profits on arms deals to nuke other countries. So that's my short term plan, although it's taking a long time.
What sort of things do you like writing? I'm always tapping away on here, I don't have a lot of confidence but I keeo doing it because it makes me happy. I'd love to get into journalism (specifically books or sociology) and eventually write a novel but i think that's a bit out in the future at the moment.
What are you reading at the moment? I'm reading R D Laings The Politics of Experience (nearly finished) and it's been a really good and interesting read. Some of his ideas about humanity and madness still stand today even though it was written in the 60s and he has real empathy for people who experience reality differently.
Ok i think i may have rambled on enough! take care and speak soon xxxxxx

[suzy]

Hello again!

I haven't watched much on BBC4...I mainly watch BBC3 but I'll have to take a look at BBC4! The 34 stone teenager was definitely my favourite body image programme too, I found it really moving. She is such a lovely girl and she has so much to deal with at such a young age....she has managed to cope so well. I really hope things are getting better for her, I keep missing the follow up programme.... Have you watched any of the Freaky Eaters programmes? I've seen a couple but I find them really hard to watch as I struggle a lot with problems with food.

I absolutely love Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister! They are so clever and so funny! I haven't watched any of the others you mentioned...I'll have to give some of them a try. At the moment I'm watching The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin which I've never seen before and I'm really enjoying it, its really funny!

I haven't cut up my credit cards but I'm very disciplined these days - I use a cashback credit card for all my spending and I always pay off the balance in full every month. I have my account with Smile because of their ethical policies so I understand how you feel - I hope you manage to pay of your debts and get rid of your evil corporate bank soon! I'm sure you'll be able to achieve it; as I said, if I can do it anyone can.

I haven't done much reading or writing lately as I'm doing a course and I've been working really hard on that. I got my last assignment for the first year posted today so I'm relaxing tonight for the first time for ages! Before that I was reading a lot of psychotherapy books as I'm having psychotherapy so I find it really interesting...I've read a lot of books by Irvin Yalom. I really want to read Benjamin's book next, it sounds really good.

Your writing sounds really good - you should definitely try and write a comedy series for the BBC. Are you still working on the one you wrote set in a care home but as a novel now? I know you don't have a lot of confidence but you sound really talented and you are worth so much more than you think.

Talk to you soon, take care.

xxx

[crappotheclown]

hi honey!
i was wondering, could you give me your email address? I could chat about things a bit more personal that way. I'm on MSN quite a bit in the day too, if you want to add me.
how are you doing? i'm good, tired today as i was in work earlier than my medication likes me to be. Did a good job though and now I'm at home, out of the horrendous rain and wearing pyjamas.
i did watch all of freaky eaters, i thought it was a pretty good series. I like to think that phobias are never about what they actually seem to be about and i thought they could have made that point a bit clearer in the episodes but it was very interesting. Do you only eat certain foods too then? I'm glad to say after watching that, that my diet is ok. I'm pretty much vegan, but have been vegetarian all my life so i get lots of fruit and veg and pulses and things. I just get sad and stop eating sometimes.
that's cool that you like Yes Minister! I know the box set is very reasonably priced on Amazon, that's where i got mine. i think the writing and acting is second to none even after all this time. i haven't see the life and times...so i'll check that out if you check out some Chris Morris! Comedy is great. I may be miserable but i do have a dark sense of humour and i totally love to laugh. I'm not one of these people that walks around looking like they've got the weight of the world on their shoulders, i do lots of smiling!
What course are you doing, is it to do with admin? Good luck with that, I assume you have exams now so I'll be thinking of you! Working in the uni is stressful at the moment because i'm trying to pass all my students into their exams. i feel it'll reflect badly on me if i don't get them through!
I'll definitely look up Smile,that sounds great. I'm really into being eco friendly and i'm especially passionate about animals. I only use vegan shampoos and things that I know haven't been near a rabbit's eyes. The Original Source ones, for instance.
I will get to work on my "novel" one day, but at the moment it's all in half written chapters that I've given up on. I've really got some motivation to work on it this summer though. Maybe I'll even send you a bit!
Thanks again for all your kind words, you're a star honey. Keep smiling for me!
helen_corton@hotmail.co.uk

[suzy]

Hi again,

Just wanted to let you know I've emailed you in case you haven't read the other thread!

Hope to talk to you soon, take care.

xxx

[crappotheclown]

I've emailed you back hun. I don't know if it sent properly so do let me know if you didn't get it.
xxxx