Since I began Penny Pinching four months ago I adopted the mantra that I would never let my financial situation control my well-being despite it controlling and restricting my life. And despite 85% of my monthly salary going towards paying off my debts I have done just that by always managing to squirrel away a few quid a month into savings and always trying to ensure that I have at least one treat, be it a small Costa coffee or a big night out with the girls a month.
Don't get me wrong these are trying times and its not just me feeling the pinch the Credit Crunch is upon us all, but in order to keep on Penny Pinching and managing each month on a day-by-day basis I believe it is important to reward myself for being good. If any of you are like me and got into debt purely through self indulgent spending then you'll understand just how difficult it is to break the spending habit, but I am getting there and I find the occasional reward is helping to wean me off my spending addiction. But I fear I may be replacing one addiction with another...
As some of you may already be aware part of my efforts to keep an active mind and body during these depressing times has involved the discovery of pole-dancing in the form of a six-week course of beginners pole-dancing lessons, (not moonlighting at a working men's club) which I was invited on by dance instructor Zara Groves of Break'n'Spin dance studio in Llandudno. (regular readers of my blog will be aware of just how much fun I've had with the pole-dancing!)
But I started to slip into a decline as I realised the course was coming to an end, I could feel the withdrawal symptom's creeping in- would I be able to cope not meeting up with my fellow dancing buddies once a week, no longer having a social, fun and healthy session on the pole to look forward to? But luckily for me as the course was coming to an end Zara very kindly offered me a place on the intermediate course which began this week, so I can continue dancing and feeling more fit, health and confident about myself. Phew, panic over.
However, in my blind panic for social interaction I also enrolled in a weekly Slimming World group, based in Llandudno Junction, with my sister Lisa, (all the comfort eating I've being doing of late to overcome my depression about not having any money to wantonly spend anymore has given me a bum the size of a small country) and like the weekly sessions of pole-dancing I get a warm fuzzy feeling of acceptance from attending this group and being part of something that involves people in the same situation as me, in this case- being overweight.
But I fear I may be becoming dependant on the group, as I am with the pole-dancing, in order to overcome my debt problems. Maybe I should start a Penny Pincher group! What's the first rule of Penny Pinching club- we don't talk about Penny Pinching.

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