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LaTanya B. I LOVE fashion and art. Outside of work (and sometime during work lol!) this is where my head is. I love anything that can express feeling and emotion whether it be music, poetry, dance, art, books and even fashion which I consider an art in itself. My advice is to do whatever brings peace and joy to your life even if your not doing it for a living. Who knows, things can change:) I hope this blog brings happiness and light. Peace & Love, L.B.

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Confessions of a Shopaholic Pt. 2: Debt and Resolution

After my internship was over, I got a job at H&M and with every paycheck I got I was taking advantage of my 25% discount. By that time my debt had gotten so bad that my whole paycheck couldn't cover the past due amounts and late fees on my credit card (and support my shopping habit) so I just shopped. I was stressed so I shopped.


I thought about going home but felt like I would be a failure, that I would be giving up on my dream. After a few more months of this I had worked up debt totaling somewhere around $14,000 and I still wanted to shop. I had no other choice to to go back home.

When I came home I fell into a serious depression. I didn't have a job and I had debt collectors hunting me down. It was a very hard time and I was beating myself up for putting myself there but I couldn't help it.

I didn't realize I had a problem until I came home and so I had to figure out how to pick up the pieces. I joined a debt management program and after some time got a part-time job then moved into a full-time job. I sold a lot of the things that I bought through consignment and Ebay in order to pay down the debt. Now a few years later I have a successful career, I am almost debt free and I went back to school to finish my degree.

I had to figure out how to spend my money by knowing what I need and what I can splurge on and when. I put money to the side to buy expensive things that I want and try to think ahead. I still love to shop and will always be a "recovering shopaholic." I have moments when I want to spend all my money but going through that experience lets me know what I'm capable of. Since I like to spend a lot at a time I wait a few months for my shopping pot to get big before I go shopping. I always allow myself to splurge (on me) on my birthdays and Christmas, and I put money away to shop in vacations and trips. It's not easy to live by these standards but it works for me.

For years I have been embarrassed to tell this story, to let people know that I had a problem with something like shopping to much. I never told people the real story about why I moved back from NYC. But I think that this problem is real for a lot of people. I now believe that I can still be fashionable without spending frivolously. Over the years I have expanded my knowledge on fashion to not only include high fashion but also affordable fashion as well. I hope that other people will understand that fashion is not just what you see in Vogue magazine. Fashion is more about person style. It is what you make it.

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