Confessions of a shopaholic...

I'm writing this while sitting on the floor in my very cluttered bedroom, while bidding frantically on a Topshop jacket on eBay... I have come to the realisation that I have issues... Or even ‘ish-shoes’... In regard to shopping... They have come to a head this week, well right now to be honest... As I sit looking at the laundry that is waiting to be put away, the shoes wondering why they have been discarded, millimetres away from their boxes - but not quite inside, emails that are waiting to be opened, toiletries looking for lids and projects waiting for completion... I realise that something must be done... By me... The past few evenings have been a whirlwind of neglected duties... Other then putting mini-me to sleep and eating (which has been done in front of the computer) I have done nothing but sit on my beautiful MacBook and trawl through website, after website of clothes shoes and bags.... HELP!!

Twitter has been unable to distract me, phone calls have gone unanswered, TV programmes unwatched, Haagen Dazs uneaten (this is what worries me the most), fingernails unpainted and hair un-brushed, as I sit in front of my laptop in a clothing, bag and shoe induced coma. I fall into bed weary and blurry eyed in the early hours of the morning. With the satisfying glow of accomplishment… A job well done. This is not normal... It can't be normal; do I have no self-control? Errrr...

Asos, Topshop, Warehouse, Office, Mango, Irregular Choice, All Saints, Zara and others that were found along the way, but none so addictive or all consuming as eBay... None so treacherous, perilous or hazardous as eBay... The high I get from bidding and winning on eBay must come a close second to gambling. I'm sure the ridiculously, excessive excitement I endure is similar to that of a hyperactive child. I am currently bidding on a jacket and I am tense, anxious, and slightly panicky as if performing naked on stage in front of thousands, with full knowledge that I can't sing or dance or even speak for that matter... HELP! This week I promised myself I would have early nights Mon-Weds as i'm out the rest of the week. To the best of my knowledge shopping online from the comfort of your bed (or in my case floor in corner beside bed) does not constitute an early night. Nor is it a normal way to spend 3 evenings. So I am making a call of action. An intervention if you like. For myself... They say admitting you have a problem is the first step right? Well i'm admitting it. To you. Hi. Yes, you. "I am PurpleRamblings and I have a problem". There I did it. I'll be back in a sec, just have to check the progress of my jacket... So, back to the intervention. If you've read my blog before you'll be aware of my challenges, if not check them out. I failed the 5 fruit a day one miserably by the way. But I digress. I challenge myself starting the 1st of May 2013 to no shopping… (Until the end of each month and then a budget will be set) Except food and toiletries.

No buying of shoes, bags, clothes, hairbands, earrings, cd's, iphone or blackberry cases, make-up, socks, dvd’s, anything... Nothing. Nada. Naught. Zilch. It shall be hard. I shall be tempted. I shall have withdrawal. I shall cry for ASOS and eBay. I shall talk myself into buying that thing that I must have and for some reason or other doesn't count and then I shall talk myself out of it. I shall give my debit/credit cards to a trusted third party. I shall avoid window-shopping. I shall be depressed. I shall once again find time to eat Haagen Dazs. I shall mourn the weekly parcels I will no longer receive. And I shall wait excitedly for the postman to deliver all the delicious parcels I have ordered the past three days and will be ordering until 30th April ☺

So Hot Right Now...

If you've been following for a while you may have seen my wishlist... If you haven't here it is http://tinyurl.com/66zlkls

These shoes came off my wishlist and I HAVE THEM!!!

And I got them for half price... Whooo Hooo!!

I saw them when browsing and "someone" said i'd be a fool to pass them by, so I didn't.

Looking at dresses...

"Mummy, can I look at dresses on your computer?"
*Cue: Heart stopping, light headedness, sweats and shivers*

Oh. My. Actual. Gosh!! I have contaminated the baby... I've broken her... Stolen her innocence and forced her into early consumerism!! I've prematurely aged the baby. Is there some kind of rehab style place that I could take her to? With wooden toys and metal bikes and torn books. The childhood playgrounds of yore, before the age of the Internet. Although, to be fair she'd probably spend the whole time asking if they had an iPhone she could play with. I need to release her from the shackles I have forced upon her (overkill? maybe too much, huh?). To reacquaint her with 3 year old past-times like reading and skipping and running. Maybe I should stop ignoring her in favour of sitting at my computer "looking at dresses" (I don't really do this, I wait til she's sleeping to fully indulge with no interruptions - lol). But mainly I need to have a word with myself.

I have tried to rein it in. Keep it in check. Limit the time spent "looking at dresses on my computer". Set a budget that I must stick to. But something always comes up... A wedding. Ascot. A sale. The Polo. Sunshine. The possibility of rain. The possibility of snow. Someone's birthday. A day spent at the common. A barbecue. Work. MONDAY.

Any. Possible. Reason. And i'm online. Buying things.

My inbox is full of unopened emails stating 'Your eBay bid has been confirmed' or 'You have won this eBay item' or 'Order confirmation' or 'Receipt for your payment' or my all time favourite 'Your item has been despatched'. Which always has perfect parcels in plastic bags or brown paper or jiffy bags or envelopes or boxes following closely behind...

OMG! OMG! OMG! I promised I would stop. I promised myself I would stop. I also promised myself I would eat 5 fruit a day... Suprise, suprise I failed that too!! So far this 2nd quarter of the year i'm doing really well in not keeping promises to myself... Nice one. Go Me!! I am however, staying on top of deadlines at work. Whooptidoo!! (sense the sarcasm).

When asked about TV shows, I know nothing. When asked about films, I know nothing. Books, nothing. It was suggested to me that “online shopping” has become my hobby. My pastime. The thing I do to unwind at the end of the day when 'normal folk' are engrossed in Eastenders, Coronation Street and the like.

It was fine when it was just me. Ok, it wasn't fine, but it was just me and my issues. But my innocent soon to be 4 year old, not quite 3 ft in height, can use the computer and the iPhone, likes to read and run little girl that finally got her much coveted Lelli Kelly's, has now been dragged into the equation. Not quite kicking and screaming, but i'm sure she'd have preferred to do other things given half the chance, had her mother not been fully consumed by the consumerist monster that is the world of "ONLINE SHOPPING". I need a serious intervention... I tried. I failed. I need someone to step in and take charge. One of those reality TV show documentary type things. Where the financial/lifestyle/overhaul consultant comes and looks at your bank balance and your spending habits and then gives you £10 a week and one change of clothes to live on, so you see that you've been unnecessarily frivolous your whole life. And that having one pair of shoes and a suit is perfectly acceptable *having... trouble... breathing...* Anyone out there fancy the task?? Anyone?? Please?? Help!

Maybe I’ll just hand my bankcards in. Or disable my internet connection.

*side-note* While writing this post I received an email from Irregular Choice informing me that a shoe I wanted was back in stock

The Wishlist....

These are the things I would like my Fairy Godmother, Tooth Fairy, Genie type entity (otherwise known as MrRamblings or 'babe' according to mini-me) to "suprise" me with in order for this month to end well... In no particular order.

1. A fully grey short-hired domestic cat. Stripes or spots of any size or colour will not be tolerated. I had a fully grey cat called Jasper, that was my baby before the baby came along. Sadly he was put to sleep last year... And I want a new one. I would buy him a teal collar and he would be the most pampered house cat ever. 2. Swarovski black crystal ring. Needs no explanation. It's a nice ring and I want it. The end. 3. Irregular Choice 'Driving Bananas' shoes. I drive. Don't really like banana's, but I do like banana flavoured things. And I realised this weekend when my feet and legs quit working for me in an act of rebellion against the constant high shoe wearing that the only flat shoes I own are Converse or Ugg boots. As good a reason as any other that I could think of, other then... Because I want them.

4. Nissan Figaro. I lurve, lurve, lurve and want, want, want this car. I can see myself driving through the countryside, top down with a scarf tied round my head, floating in the wind Isadora Duncan style, obviously without the death by strangulation part. I would cover the seats with Liberty print fabric. And spray the body metallic teal. I promise I would service it every 6 months and never drive above 30mph, unless on the motorway or really empty roads with no cameras at night, I would never have road rage, so would never have to bang uncontrollably on the horn and therefore could instill a 'no swearing in the car rule' to preserve the quirky, retro car style ambience. Unless of course there was the absolute need to occasionally shout 'duck'.

5. Red & Pink bike with basket. I am usually the anti-pink and pink and red would usually set 'fashion faux pas' alarm bells ringing... Until this bike. Some how it works. I can picture myself in denim capri pants with my driving bananas shoes on (see above) zipping through Hyde or Richmond park with mini-me in tow, tooting our horns with fresh cut flowers in our baskets (what the hell era am I living in? Pollyanna eat your heart out).

6. Irregular Choice 'So Hot Right Now' shoes. I know I mentioned previously that I was slightly lacking in the sensible, flat, style footwear region. But. I. Don't. Actually. Think. I. Can. Go. On. Without. These. Shoes. In. My. Life. That is all.

Ok, so maybe expecting them all this month is a bit much, but i'm sure 4 out of 6 isn't too much to ask for... Is it?? And anyway the saying goes 'If you don't ask, you don't get' :-)