A former self-confessed shopaholic who used to spend £700 a month on online shopping has saved £15,000 in just eight months and £30,000 in four years by adopting six simple habits. Lauren Mayers, 24, from Surrey, is now saving to buy her first home and hopes to put down a deposit of more than 10%.
Ms Mayers described her past shopping addiction, saying she would buy new clothes for every event and rack up large amounts on Klarna. 'I realised I needed to change my behaviour when I found myself repeatedly dipping into my savings,' she said. She estimated she spent £500-700 a month on shopping with hundreds on pay later schemes.
To curb her spending, Ms Mayers stopped buying from fast fashion websites such as Shein and PrettyLittleThing. After a wardrobe clear-out, she got rid of six bags of clothes worth over £1,000. She now only invests in pieces she will rewear. She also paid off her car loan first to avoid paying interest, and now leaves herself a realistic amount of free money each month rather than a tight £300 that forced her to dip into savings.
Ms Mayers practices delayed gratification, citing an example of holding off on buying a Braun laser hair removal device at £300 reduced from £600. She also cut down on subscriptions including Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, AA, and switched to a SIM-only phone contract.
