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Post by bitsofbeads on Aug 25, 2013 23:26:28 GMT
Anyone else having trouble managing their money? I’m not going to lie… there is too much temptation in Lolita with new brand prints churning out like clockwork and a plethora of options when it comes to accessories. It’s gotten to the point where I won’t allow myself look at the websites unless I have the express intention of making a purchase because impulse-buys have been crippling me as of late. I think my problem is due to the fact that I'm a college student living at home with no real responsibilities other than car insurance and paying my phone bill. Don't get me wrong, I do put an undisclosed portion of my paycheck in the savings account but the rest is shall we say...vulnerable? I’m not going to say it’s an addiction… yet. But then again, when do you ladies think there is a point where you go ‘too far’ concerning your spending habits in Lolita? Does anyone else suffer from the same Achilles' heel? If so, how are you coping with it? If not, do you have any tips to offer the rest of us? |
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Post by obsixwi on Aug 26, 2013 8:58:31 GMT
I guess I have the same problem, where it's not really an addiction, because I'm careful with keeping tabs on what bills I need to pay, etc., but anything outside of that, and outside of what my savings are, is basically a dress-buying free-for-all. I guess it's just important to set limits. Know what things you need to buy in the future and plan around it, as well as have emergency funds, but otherwise I think it's okay to have impulse buys and such.
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Post by bitsofbeads on Aug 26, 2013 18:41:28 GMT
Thanks for the input obsixwi! It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. It’s certainly a guilty pleasure. I’ve noticed that people who enjoy the Lolita fashion typically have a skewed view on pricing as well. Or at least joke around with the habit of extravagant ‘shopping sprees’ online and stalking closetchild or the comm sales.
It was definitely a reality check when I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to drop around 150 dollars for a bonnet and she gave me a grimace.
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Post by artemisia on Aug 26, 2013 19:02:02 GMT
I have the same problem, I pay all my bills, food, etc but after that I tend to blow it all on Lolita. What I really want to do is save, but I always end spending it. It's gotten so bad that when I don't have the money but see something I must have, I borrow it  And if I can't borrow it I get extremely anxious. I think I do this because I already have a stressful life, and when I buy something it makes me happy for a little while. |
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Post by obsixwi on Aug 26, 2013 21:00:09 GMT
Thanks for the input obsixwi! It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. It’s certainly a guilty pleasure. I’ve noticed that people who enjoy the Lolita fashion typically have a skewed view on pricing as well. Or at least joke around with the habit of extravagant ‘shopping sprees’ online and stalking closetchild or the comm sales.
It was definitely a reality check when I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to drop around 150 dollars for a bonnet and she gave me a grimace.
My view on it is that most people do have things they will drop big bucks on, it's just different for different people. Like, if I tell someone that I scored a deal on a dress and it was only a hundred dollars, they look at me like I'm crazy, but at the same time I have friends buying Coach purses and shoes, expensive gadgets, etc., all of which are things I don't and wouldn't buy. Some of my friends only spend their money on guitars and amps, and that adds up pretty quickly. So when you think about it that way, it's really less weird than people think, it just appears to be odder because it's a niche fashion. |
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Post by chocolatechan on Aug 26, 2013 23:01:33 GMT
This is quite an interesting topic! As a newbie to the fashion, here are my feelings on it:
It's really difficult right now to keep spending in check. The desire to build my wardrobe is overpowering, and it is very easy to get caught up in this drive to have new dresses. However, sometimes those dresses can lead to a snowball of spending if they don't fit with the pieces you already have. I'm finding, the more that I think about it, that the best way to avoid overspending is to avoid impulse buys. You need a plan for your wardrobe. A dress is not a good deal, no matter how cheap, if it needs new everything to go with it. If you can't pair a purchase with something you have in your wardrobe, it's best not to buy it. If each dress and accessory can be coorded only one way, how much enjoyment are you really getting out of your wardobe? You bought these items because you liked and/or loved them, right? Wouldn't it be better to be able to wear them more often, in new and exciting ways?
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Post by frillberry on Aug 27, 2013 2:42:45 GMT
I don't feel like I have a spending problem, or, if I do, I am just reluctant to admit it. I sometimes fall victim to retail therapy, but that's usually on less expensive items. I sometimes also feel like I really want to add something to my wardrobe, even if there's nothing that I'm really looking for in particular. I just like the feeling of getting things in the mail. I try to find things about a piece that I don't like in order to talk myself out of buying it. I also have some personal guidelines that keep me from impulse buying certain things. For example, I only buy pieces whose main material is cotton. This keeps me from wanting to impulse buy a lot of things, especially when chiffon or velvet/velveteen pieces are popular. My view on it is that most people do have things they will drop big bucks on, it's just different for different people. Like, if I tell someone that I scored a deal on a dress and it was only a hundred dollars, they look at me like I'm crazy, but at the same time I have friends buying Coach purses and shoes, expensive gadgets, etc., all of which are things I don't and wouldn't buy. Some of my friends only spend their money on guitars and amps, and that adds up pretty quickly. So when you think about it that way, it's really less weird than people think, it just appears to be odder because it's a niche fashion. Yeah, I feel like this is really true. This is quite an interesting topic! As a newbie to the fashion, here are my feelings on it: It's really difficult right now to keep spending in check. The desire to build my wardrobe is overpowering, and it is very easy to get caught up in this drive to have new dresses. However, sometimes those dresses can lead to a snowball of spending if they don't fit with the pieces you already have. I'm finding, the more that I think about it, that the best way to avoid overspending is to avoid impulse buys. You need a plan for your wardrobe. A dress is not a good deal, no matter how cheap, if it needs new everything to go with it. If you can't pair a purchase with something you have in your wardrobe, it's best not to buy it. If each dress and accessory can be coorded only one way, how much enjoyment are you really getting out of your wardobe? You bought these items because you liked and/or loved them, right? Wouldn't it be better to be able to wear them more often, in new and exciting ways? I enjoy buying things that fit in with accessories I already have, but, if I see a dream print for sale that doesn't quite fit with everything else, I will buy it right then and there. I don't mind taking my time to pick up things that go with it, since the hardest part is finding it in the first place. I also get a thrill out of finding things that will match something that I already have that doesn't have a lot of matching accessories yet, especially if it's something unique or vintage. |
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Post by bitsofbeads on Aug 28, 2013 2:59:28 GMT
I have the same problem, I pay all my bills, food, etc but after that I tend to blow it all on Lolita. What I really want to do is save, but I always end spending it. It's gotten so bad that when I don't have the money but see something I must have, I borrow it :( And if I can't borrow it I get extremely anxious. I think I do this because I already have a stressful life, and when I buy something it makes me happy for a little while.
Why do you think you get anxious if you can't borrow the money? Is it because you are afraid you lost an opportunity to own that item? Or is it some other reason? This is quite an interesting topic! As a newbie to the fashion, here are my feelings on it: It's really difficult right now to keep spending in check. The desire to build my wardrobe is overpowering, and it is very easy to get caught up in this drive to have new dresses. However, sometimes those dresses can lead to a snowball of spending if they don't fit with the pieces you already have. I'm finding, the more that I think about it, that the best way to avoid overspending is to avoid impulse buys. You need a plan for your wardrobe. A dress is not a good deal, no matter how cheap, if it needs new everything to go with it. If you can't pair a purchase with something you have in your wardrobe, it's best not to buy it. If each dress and accessory can be coorded only one way, how much enjoyment are you really getting out of your wardobe? You bought these items because you liked and/or loved them, right? Wouldn't it be better to be able to wear them more often, in new and exciting ways?
Today I took photos of my items I currently own and saved the images to my computer for easy reference from now on!
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Post by bitsofbeads on Aug 28, 2013 3:17:57 GMT
My view on it is that most people do have things they will drop big bucks on, it's just different for different people. Like, if I tell someone that I scored a deal on a dress and it was only a hundred dollars, they look at me like I'm crazy, but at the same time I have friends buying Coach purses and shoes, expensive gadgets, etc., all of which are things I don't and wouldn't buy. Some of my friends only spend their money on guitars and amps, and that adds up pretty quickly. So when you think about it that way, it's really less weird than people think, it just appears to be odder because it's a niche fashion. I don't feel like I have a spending problem, or, if I do, I am just reluctant to admit it. I sometimes fall victim to retail therapy, but that's usually on less expensive items. I sometimes also feel like I really want to add something to my wardrobe, even if there's nothing that I'm really looking for in particular. I just like the feeling of getting things in the mail. I try to find things about a piece that I don't like in order to talk myself out of buying it. I also have some personal guidelines that keep me from impulse buying certain things. For example, I only buy pieces whose main material is cotton. This keeps me from wanting to impulse buy a lot of things, especially when chiffon or velvet/velveteen pieces are popular. Yeah, I feel like this is really true. |
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Post by frillberry on Aug 28, 2013 3:31:43 GMT
I don't feel like I have a spending problem, or, if I do, I am just reluctant to admit it. I sometimes fall victim to retail therapy, but that's usually on less expensive items. I sometimes also feel like I really want to add something to my wardrobe, even if there's nothing that I'm really looking for in particular. I just like the feeling of getting things in the mail. I try to find things about a piece that I don't like in order to talk myself out of buying it. I also have some personal guidelines that keep me from impulse buying certain things. For example, I only buy pieces whose main material is cotton. This keeps me from wanting to impulse buy a lot of things, especially when chiffon or velvet/velveteen pieces are popular. Yeah, I feel like this is really true. I get retail regrets, but not often. I'm that person who sometimes spends a long time at a store debating over whether or not I should get an item. My most recent "retail regret" was a sweater a couple weeks ago. I got it for $11, but I just felt like I shouldn't have gone for it, even though I really will need it, since I'm forever wearing out my sweaters. (I think this was mostly because it was itchier when I tried it on again at home.) My most recent lolita one was more or a "this is why we can't have nice things" moment. I had bought a pair of stockings for lolita. I went to put them on for a meetup, which was the first time I was going to wear them out at all, and got a run in them while I was putting them on. I was so mad at myself. |
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tehrin
Angelic Newbie
Posts: 19 
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Post by tehrin on Sept 4, 2013 12:41:59 GMT
It's really hard for me. I do ensure that my bills are paid on time every month. But I'm not going to lie, my checking account is much lower than the amount on my credit card. I keep paying it down every month and I still end up with the same result. It's not insanely unpayable, but it would take me a few months of putting a whole paycheck into it to get it down to 0. :< Not good. Though most of my Lolita purchases as of late have been going through paypal, and I've been really good about selling off stuff quickly and then using the paypal balance to pay for new items. But now I'm running out of old items I want to part with.
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