Tips from a shopaholic

I thought that it would be timely to put some tips out there for my fellow shopaholics! Yes, I am a self-confessed shopaholic.... and here are some things  that try and trip me up very time - hopefully it will help, and if not - then make you smile!

1) Pester Power

During researching for a marketing paper I was doing, I stumbled across something called pester power. You may not have known what it was called but I am sure you know what it is.... its the child that tugs at your shirt/dress/leg or a combo of those ;-) when they see something they like and say, "Mum, mum, mum can I have, can I have.... mum, mum...... aaaawwwww mum, mum what about this..... mum, mum, can I please.... I want this... please can I have.... puuulllllllleeeeeaaasssseee..." Unfortunately as they get older it doesn't stop - it is just more sophisticated but remains just as annoying. I won't tell you what I used to do my boys-needless to say that if they were pestering me it must have been in their minds... Anyway, did you know that there is actually research that shows that pester power contributes to sales of products - I know? Amazing isn't it - so tip number one - to get around it - leave the pesterer's home  - why? because if you are truly a shopaholic - you don't need the extra push - you already have the desire to shop for any reason down pat ;-)

2) Brand Power

During the same research I found that BOYs get stuck on brand names...and develop brand loyalty quite early on. At the time, I couldn't imagine that my sons would be smitten by this bug but some years later I am witnessing it first hand and am amazed at the power that a BRAND NAME has over them! Actually, having said that - my niece demonstrates the same loyalty ;-). Not sure if there is a way to get over this as I certainly shopped for bargains all the boys lives and still do regardless of the brand - so tip number two, like tip number one - leave the little precious home.

3)  Beware of the'Demand'

Before my recent trip to Aussie, I and asked what they wanted.... The list was short and specific and all it included was a pair of LOWER jeans and a LOWER t-shirt. They researched the internet for their mother so I could see what the brand looked like and off I went. I walked the length and breath of both Melbourne and Sydney looking for these LOWER jeans..... and nothing! So I tell the boys and they are okay because I assure them that despite their mother spending enough money in Australia to keep at least 1/2 dozen African orphans alive for years! I have enough for them. I get home and just last week I go into a surfing shop to check out these LOWER jeans, shirts, and singlets. I say to the young shop attendant - "I tried looking all over Aussie for these but couldn't find them". "Oh, no we don't sell these in Aussie - its a New Zealand brand". OK - cool - I'm a buy New Zealand made person so I check out the prices and I almost hit the floor in hysterics. Singlets for almost $100, and jean shorts (that means half of the pants are actually missing!) are pressing $200. The confused shop attendant looks at me and tells me that "stock has to be replenished all the time because it is just sooooo popular, with some styles selling out". Now I don't know who is behind this brand but good on them - they have created a little market that is allowing people - harrased parents among that number, to buy these rediculously priced items of clothing - so beware of the demand - no tip, just beware of the products that have created a sensation from nothing. Hopefully, just as Mossimo was king when I was younger - hopefully LOWER will become an acquired taste for the rich and famous and not a must-have-or-I-may-not-live item for the real people. Tip - wait for a decade for the brand to die down in popularity ;-) or..... buckle under pressure ;-)

4) Packaging is just fancy marketing

I was out shopping for a farewell gift for a friend/work colleague the other night and was dazzled by the beautfiul packaging of the gifts available. Based on the packaging alone I was ready to drop mula all over the place - starting with a pretty bottle of perfume covered in butterflies, to a wrapped up gift of products I would have never ever used! Luckily I had a voice of reason (thank you Mandy) with me who quickly snapped me out of it and reminded me about the packaging and kept looking for the contents of the product... and although what we got in the end was aesthetically pleasing to this visual learner - it was economical as well ;-) So tip number four - take someone who doesn't suffer from your kind of disorder to keep it real for you!

5) Keep your balance

As a shopaholic I know that the bottom line of an account is seen as something to circumnavigate...however as I have grown older that has changed.... There are few things in life I don't know - actually, there is a lot I don't know and more things I forget!! But my balance is not one of those things. Always know your balance shopaholics and keep to it...which I guess separates us from normal shoppers - the inability or difficulty to stop - but for everyone's sake - do it! My tips - If you need a credit card - get a look alike one - where you can use it like a credit card but its balance is what you actually have on that card. Try and use cash - as it reminds you all the time when you are running low and sometimes guides your spending like a budget does for normal people ;-) And whatever you do...keep your family on side this christmas and have money for the new year to start over. Money is one of the main causes of divorce and fights and christmas is already stressful enough without our little problem raising its pretty little head!! 

Happy bargain hunting!!

Yours in friendship, Mxox

Transformation through education

I spent most of Saturday morning in tears.... I know, I have started my blog with this teary event often but I tell no lies - I had tears in my eyes for most of Saturday morning.

This is the line of work I am in - I truly believe that I am part of a revolution of claiming education for Maori,  Pasifica and the disconnected - and the rush of transforming lives is addictive, moving and humbling...

Transformation through education
On Saturday I was at a graduation for Maori, Pasifica and two Indians who were graduating from completing a Police preparation course and were now on their way to going to Police College. One of the stories that was shared by a student speaker was about his efforts over ten years of trying to get into the police force, and his failure on course after course until he enrolled on ours and he was finally taught in way that he understood. His life, by his own admission was never going to be the same. He like many other people had been transformed through education.

Transformation through generations
I have just returned from Australia with work. We were part of a contingent that visited our counterparts in Australia who also did work with Indigenous peoples. Sitting as part of a major Australian university is a quiet Koorie education revolution that is making a difference. One of the ways that was used to teach was similar to our noho model (residence) where students travelling for days stayed at campus for a week of intensive study - a few times a year. We were able to spend time in a housing establishment where students came to stay as they went through their studies - and what I liked was that the housing provided spaces for students with families. What was encouraging to hear was that cousins and family relatives also on the courses that were running often came and stayed together. The photos of graduates which lined the walls of these buildings and of the tutorial rooms and administration offices were evidence of this transgenerational and whanau (family) education...  I love it!

Transformation through life
Today I sat on an interview panel for people who had applied to be on one of our degrees. There were two people that I will never forget. One was a middle aged white male the other a young Maori female. Both had had spent time in prison and familiar with addictions and demons of a kind that bound their lives on a pathway to no good. Yet, here they both were, working through their past, recently completed a certificate and firmly rooted on a new pathway that they were hungry to advance. I was blown away with what I saw as transformation through education in reality. I witnessed the end product of people who had physically overcome barriers I would never know and had transformed their lives - it was humbling and I was touched.

Transformation through how we do things
Transformative education " is courses and assessments that enable people to change the way they think and act in society...." and it is a privilege to work in an organisation that does this every day. Seeing people that have had terrible primary and secondary school experiences learning new concepts that change their lives is amazing. Recently, a lecturers recalled an incident where one of his students, after learning about healthy relationships - 'up and left' a violent marriage with her children in tow. She took courage from the things that she learnt and had recognised in her own life the need for change. She re-evaluated her place in the community she existed in and chose a better way....

I believe the work that I am involved with, transformation through education, is like watching in real-time and real-life human metormorphosis and I consider myself privileged to be a witness of the growth in our students. If you ever want to see it in real life - come to a graduation at a campus near you - your life will never be the same!

Yours in friendship,

Mxox