The one book that let me flip through its 328 pages in 12 hours!
The plot revolves around Rebecca, the "financial expert" by-chance it seems, and her egregious urge for shopping that eventually leads her to debt. Her ingeniously ridiculous ways of smacking out of her over expenditure on stuff she "really needs" or just "fancies" about possessing couldn't be more genuinely portrayed! I am sure every single female "species" can identify and relate to with atleast 80% of her shopahol- i-sm! Atleast in my case, I very honestly admit, it is 90%. I'm now convinced that I am indeed a shopaholic and Rebecca is more sort of an.. err... 'a shopa-maniac'!?!
Learnings, musings and take aways:
1. The shopaholics always try to get advice from anyone who seem to save a penny more than themselves. After her futile attempts at clearing the debt, Rebecca seeks her father's advice and at one point, also seriously "considers them" - CD or MMM (Cut down or make more money). She also ends up spending on a self help book which wouldn't help her at all!
2. Trying on CD, leads her into spending more money (considering it to be one time investment) that just doesn't seem to pay off. How can anyone in the world use a kitchen set up, if one doesn't know to cook! Even worse if your cookery classes cost you way too much than it would cost for the food for an entire year itself!
3. "life is short and has to be lived to its fullest" - Why cut down on what you like? try MMM - well, this one creeps into the shopaholic's head when she soon realizes that she has invested way too much on stuff she wouldn't be successfully using in order to spend less; but instead could have bought her favorite watch or glasses in that money spent! Rebecca plans to change her career and try something new. And most times she always crosses the heights of optimism on how rich she really can become.
4. Shopaholics will have friends who are very much their own breed.
5. The best way to think about not spending too much is to think of having a gala time and spend as much as you can till you can forget and be happy about your new possessions!
6. People in debt are one heck of a liars!!
7. Shopaholics always quote a discounted price of upto 90% (or even free out of a scratch card) when asked by moms, the cost of their new possession!
And as you flip through more pages in the book, you suddenly find that Rebecca, whose credit and debit cards from 5 different banks are blocked on debt, giving "financial advice" to callers on a television show, while one of her own bankers sit right in front of her all furious with rage during the show coverage!
She finally turns out to be a television super star who is "informative" but "approachable", "knowledgeable" but "down-to-earth" when it comes to advises on "managing your money" - a highly successful profession which pays her for advising on stuff which cannot be carried out at herself, but still be happy at ease with it!
In simple words, its deadly hilarious from the word go! Highly recommended for the female species while a must-read for the male species to get to know their better half (or any other female species) better! :)
PS: This is the first of Sophie Kinsella's shopaholic series and I am looking forward to read the rest of them!
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