New York Valentine is out in the shops today, and it’s official – HEAT magazine thinks NYV is hot, hot, HOT! Yes, it’s there at number 7 in Heat’s Hot List – the top 10 things the fabulous people at Heat have said they are completely obsessed with this week…

Chick Lit Reviews has also given New York Valentine a fab review! Reviewer Chloe describes Annie as ‘a great character who leads the book so well… a character the reader will love and warm to.’  Chloe likes the New York setting, and that Annie’s teenage daughter Lana takes on a bigger role, giving NYV an overall rating of 4/5. Read the full review

I was invited to talk on BBC radio Bristol about the fact that 7 million Britons have on average £3,300 of shopping credit card debt. Ouch! And at 17% APR minimum, they’re spending at least £510 a year on that debt.

Now, as we know, Annie Valentine has had huge credit card problems in the past but she is still determined to get on top of them. She never can quite stick to her boring old budget, but her debt has come down from five figures (eek!) to a low four figures.

Here are her five best tips BTW!

1. My loves, if you’ve got to the stage of stashing your credit card bills under the bed in the hope that they will just go away, pay attention! You do not want bailiffs at your door so you have got to take action! Stop shopping. Cut those cards up if you have to and start thinking of how you are going to repay just a little bit more of that debt every month. What about an evening or weekend job? Could you sell things you don’t need on ebay? Car boot sale? Hold a wardrobe sale with friends and family? Please get help. Get online, get on the phone. There is loads of help for people in debt.

2. If you are broke, don’t go shopping! Everything is laid out so temptingly that it will be impossible to resist. Window shopping does not exist. Instead stay home, organise your wardrobe beautifully, mend things, sew on buttons, polish your old shoes up. Try and be grateful for the lovely things you already have.

3. You can’t have everything! You may be able to afford a pair of new shoes, but don’t be buying the bag, the dress, the lipstick and the state-of-the-art hair tongs to go with them. Buy new shoes that will look gorgeous with the things you already have in your cupboard. Never underestimate the power of a beautiful £5 necklace from Accesorize – suddenly even boring old black t-shirts look glamorous.

4. First day of the month, have a direct debit set up to go towards your credit card bill or (once that’s paid off) your savings account. Lots of people shop because they’re insecure. A lovely fat savings account will make you feel much more secure than designer labels you can’t afford (well, apparently. I still haven’t got any savings yet, but one day I will have that virtuous, saintly glow).

5. One lovely, well made thing that you can wear over and over is sometimes better and cheaper than bagfuls of tat. Just ten pairs of £30 shoes a year equals one pair of gorgeous, treasure for a lifetime, Jimmy Choo pumps.

Loads of things going on this month as the third Annie Valentine is released: How Not To Shop comes with the chance to win an Egyptian holiday (and if like me you’ve spent much of the summer in Glasgow – you might be needing something like that).

Rush to your nearest branch of Faith and they will give you a special edition of The Personal Shopper for free if you spend over £30 (easily done, I have been on their website and checked those shoes out… and they do big sizes. Gone are the days when you went to any shoe shop, asked for a size 8 and the shop assistant’s eyes popped from her head in astonishment – I’m still slightly scarred though.)

The lovely people at ultra-stylish Scottish Woman magazine have put me on their shortlist for witty Scottish Woman of the Year. I still can’t believe that… anyway, you can find out more if you follow this link. Hey, you can even vote and yes I will understand if you think Ronni Ancona is much more worthy!

Also, give this link a whirl if you’d like to read an interview with me from the Sunday Herald magazine. It’s incredibly nice, Susan Swarbrick was totally charming and no, I don’t have anything on her, she wrote this all of her own accord, honest! ‘Poster girl for yummy mummy chic’ oooh how my husband fell about laughing at that. He knows the grim reading glasses and ratty jeans reality!

Now, which photos can I use to enliven the August blog… I’m still missing New York, so here are another two from the holiday. The big plastic roach key-ring which was the gag of the fortnight: it ended up in everyone’s shoes, everyone’s bed, even Sam’s salad and my birthday presents. Eeek!

Then there are the family birthday cards… obviously cute dogs feature highly as we were all totally missing Jimmy by then!

How Not to Shop star Annie Valentine shares her top tips on iVillage, to give you a fabulous wardrobe on a budget!

Read Annie’s tips on i-Villlage