I just overpay my mortgage.  I have everything I need.  I hate clothes and wasteful purchasing.  I am the furthest you can get from a shopaholic. I am so dull.

i don't think that's dull.  i am very similar though so i would say that wouldn't i!  i find shopping supremely dull, and the endless acquisition of "things" pretty tedious, but its true we seem to be the odd ones out both in wider society and within this forum.  each to their own i say!  life really would be dull if we were all the same...

I definitely spend most of my money on books. Reading is my drug! I buy tons a week, and even if I don't have time to read them all, I just keep buying new ones if they look interesting. Can't help it. My shelves are bursting and soon I won't be able to walk around my apartment... 
Otherwise I'm a bit of a video game geek, and they also cost me a lot. Then there is food of course. Food is constantly on my mind 
Clothes, shoes, lingerie come last strangely... Should put more of an effort into those...

my operation!

In all seriousness, a lot of transsexuals do whore to pay for transition:
One of my friends just had Sex Reassignment Surgery SRS, in Thailand, paid for by whoring.
She hated escorting. A life time of minimum wage jobs and unemployment {her last job went when the company folded}
meant that SRS was only possible through selling her body.
{We do whatever it takes}

I made a list a while back:
The Cost of transition
This isn't cheep.
Below are my past and ongoing expenses. And forthcoming ones.

• Medication / hormones: ?300 (I get them on the NHS now)
  
• Psychiatry: ?600
  
• Laser hair removal(face): ?3500 
  
• Gender Counselling: ?1400
  
• Face Feminisation  Surgery FFS: ?23,000 (inc. travel and accommodation)
  
• Eventual Sex Reassignment Surgery SRS: ?10,000 (inc. travel and accommodation)
  
• Breast augmentation: ?3000-5,000
  
• Misc (eg. new wardrobe): ?4,000

In total my transition will cost well in excess of ?50,000.

I'm very fortunate in that I love whoring and started long before most of the above procedures were even a consideration.

Stop me if I'm well out of line Jodie as I'm no expert, but I really do think the NHS should substidise (sp?) as much of this procedure as possible, on the grounds of what could happen if they don't in terms of mental health.

Hi Sash,

I'm only speaking for myself here but I did start escorting to pay for medication as it took around 6 months for me to get an appointment at Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic and then persuade all concerned (GP etc) that it was probably a better idea for them to prescribe and monitor the meds. I haven't the foggiest how much it cost but I can always remember the boxes of Progynova costing about ?30 for a weeks supply.
Charing Cross GIC are widely considered to be the 'gatekeepers' as far as medication and surgery are concerned within the transsexual community.  Their job is to stop people making grave mistakes such as having SRS or hormone therapy which may not be necessary. You really wouldn't believe the number of transvestites who have considered trying to grow breasts or people with underlying mental health problems who think transitioning is the answer. It is annoying and distressing for, for want of a better phrase, 'genuine transsexuals' but the NHS tends to air on the side of caution. There are private routes through the system but I dislike the people involved such as Dr. Ian Curtis, or Mr. Greedy as many refer to him. He is a trans man, trained as a GP, with no formal psychiatric training or qualifications but lots of business qualifications  Many people within the trans community view this guy as an opportunist parasite.  I do know of at least one doolally tap person who pays this idiot merely to circumvent the NHS safeguards. I had been living as a woman for some time before I saw Charing Cross so only needed to go for two appointments before I was given my referral letters (you need two from two different shrinks) for surgery. I don't really consider my clothes as a cost of transitioning as I already had a wardrobe. Everybody has to buy clothes anyway whatever gender they are.

Which brings me to the bad part of the NHS option...
Sexual Reassignment Surgery in the UK is awful. The standards of care and the surgery available are appalling. One surgeon, Tim Terry, is known as the 'butcher of Leicester'. Another James Bellringer (titter ye not) looks more like a country vet and is known as 'Speedy Gonzalez' because he often boasts that he can perform the surgery in around two hours  These people use outdated techniques and often cause terrible damage to the women they operate on leaving them to deal with years of complications and a result, please forgive my crudeness, which is a malformed hole to pee out of.
Facial feminisation surgery in Europe seems according to my research to be equally primitive.
I have chosen to go to Thailand for mine as I like the work of Dr. Suporn. Although he charges less for his excellent work the NHS would not fund the surgery.

I fought a year long battle with my PCT for funding to pay for my electrolysis for facial hair removal and was allowed to shop around for the best service at the best price and things are coming along quite well in that direction now.

We all feel different about what we do for a living, to me it's just a business. I have good days and I have bad ones. The hours and wages just suit me better than the jobs I've had before 

As far as I can calculate I suppose my costs will come to around ?20,000 for facial surgery and ?10,000 for SRS. I'd prefer the NHS to have a better option but I bet there will be quite a few students leaving uni with more debt than me in the next few years. What price happiness, eh?
Sorry for taking this thread off topic, I'll shut up now 

Fallen Angel is spot on with her comments
I personally feel it is appropriate for me to pay for all my procedures.
After all, it's the most important thing in my life.
I do also feel the NHS should fund FFS & SRS & lazer/IPL/electrolysis
where a person cannot afford the procedures.
Many trans end up long term unemployed or in a low paid job; 
with no realistic way of raising funds.

 
Sadly you are also spot on about all the wannabe's and fantasists
who do go through the NHS system.
Candyflossispink, you would be surprised just what some people try to do.
They may feel they are genuine. 
The psychs act as a safeguard to help them by ensuring that irreversible surgery's are not provided.
 
Sash, Transgendered treatment on the NHS, falls under mental health care.
This part of the NHS is woefully underfunded.
and that reflects upon the limited services available.
When funding comes up in committee:
"We can do 7 heart ops, 15 kidney transplants and employee 5 maternity nurses.
Which of the above do we cut, to offer a better service to Trans Gender Identity Clinics?"
That's the reality of the NHS
Suicides & self harm by trans unable to access adequate treatment, just doesn't get a look in.

Poor management,
admin over-staffing
& inefficient structural organisation
could be sorted out to result in adequate funding for all services.
But that's another story....

Paris what E-reader do you have? I really want one, but have heard most aren't fantastic...

xx

I save most of my dosh towards buying a house hopefully soon and occasionally indulge in a designer bag or shoes

For the savers among us, how do you apportion your savings?

I'm saving up for a few big expenses too. Do you create savings accounts for each thing? Have a priority list? How do you keep motivated and make sure you are on track?