SPENNY REAL LIFE
Sarah Bartlett, 37, from Bristol, went from rags to riches when she learnt how to count her pennies…
Feeling a rush of dopamine as my flexible friend hit the reader, I’d made a successful purchase.
ALouis Vuitton pre-loved vintage designer bag to add to my growing collection.
Even though it came with a hefty £1,300 price tag, I’d idolised it for six months.
I didn’t exactly have the money, so my credit card had to take the hit instead.
I’ll just pay it off next month. Only, that was ahabit I’d found myself relying on time and time again.
From anew Barbour coat for £270, purchasing abrand-new wardrobe in Primark and making sure Ihad asteady influx of parcels delivered every day, Iwas aselfconfessed shopaholic.
Something that my family had noticed since my teens.
Growing up, there wasn’t much else to do other than going into town with my friends to spend money.
So, that’s exactly what I did. Relying on my parents for pocket money, it would be just enough to fuel my habits.
Getting ajob quite early on at roughly 16, Ihelped Mum out with Avon packages, too.
Iworked hard to bring money in –however, spending it all was the easy part.
However, when leaving uni, getting my first proper fulltime job in HR, that’s when everything truly spiralled.
Moving to Bristol and getting apromotion in 2012, the new role meant that I needed to look the part.
Always taking pride in my appearance, there were afew things on my wish list that I knew could complete that girl boss look.
Anew car being the first purchase.
Not wanting to buy a vehicle on lease, I looked into amoney transfer credit card.
It meant that the money would be deposited into my account, ready for me to use.
Plus, there was a 20-month 0% interest period, too.
This is how much I’ll have to pay back each month before the interest hits, Iconvinced myself.
Setting up adirect debit after buying my Renault Captur for £11,000, I didn’t have to worry about the outgoings as all the logistics were set up.
Or so Ithought… As not long after moving to Bristol, Iwas at the point where Iwanted to build new friendships –which meant keeping my calendar busy.
And watching influencers on social media, Iwas drawn to those that had alavish lifestyle.
Even though I didn’t have the funds to support the lifestyle that Iwanted, Iwasn’t going to let abank statement hold me back.
Going out for dinner, organising trips to the West End, booking hotels, swapping high street for high end, everything snowballed.
And there was always someone there to support me – my credit card
