Credit Crunched....

With my A/W wish list beginning to resemble the length of my arm, I thought it would be wise to touch on a topic I'm sure a lot of us can relate to: that of the credit card. With low wages and high living costs, many of us are reaching for our 'flexible friends' to see us through the tighter 'end of the month' times, when payday can't come quick enough. 

As a youngster, I was raised to understand the values of money. As such, if I couldn't afford something, I didn't have it-my parents led by example. Nothing of theirs was bought 'on the never-never' as my dad likes to say; but carefully saved for and purchased only when necessary. People have different views on their credit cards-several of my girlfriends are unfazed by their credit or store card debts whereas a friend of mine in her late 60's has a different view: any purchases she made with her credit card would not be used, worn or otherwise until that bill had been cleared. 'You see,' she said 'Otherwise it never really feels like it's mine.'

She might be on to something here. I'm sure I'm not alone in opening a bill to see reams of purchases that have now been already worn, enjoyed and discarded in place of something else-all before even being properly paid for! 

The way I use my credit cards (and yes, I do have them!) is as a useful tool to aid me in my daily life. If I'm a little short before payday, I'll use one to make my spending power go that little bit further, but I'm always sure to clear the balance when the bill arrives. Mostly I have one as back up, an 'in case of emergency' type thing (the emergency being the boiler breaks down or something; not that I need a new pair of shoes) and I think if you're aware of the pitfalls, the fees if you're late paying and the interest rates, they can be sensibly used to your advantage.

Speaking of which, I thought I'd share with you some of my A/W 2011 desires...don't worry, I won't be running out to pop these on my credit card just yet...well, not all of them anyway!

Amie's A/W Dream list:

• The perfect leather jacket
• A pair of chelsea boots
• A cable knitted jumper
• Mountains of faux fur
• Shearling lined flat knee boots
• A fabulous 'day to night' dress
• A leather skirt
• A Chanel handbag and skirt suit (I'll keep dreaming!)
• A tweed blazer with elbow patches
• The perfect slouchy peg trousers in a colour other than black!
• A printed silk blouse

Don't worry, I'll obviously keep you guys informed should I find any of the following items over the next few weeks!

XO Amie