Confession :(

ebonylight

Ok I have a confession to make.

Last month I was very very bad.

I spent the following:

£195 on a new phone
£125 new ipod (traded in old one though :T)

£155 new GHDs (currently trying to trade in old ones as they broke and I am cross!)

£273 on holiday.

£100 on two nights in Leicester (home town) to see my ex and family - and then to go out and get drunk.

And guess what this all went on my credit card. See updated debt total in my signature!!!

So, please, post your disgust and anguish at me to make sure I don't do this again!!

littlem00

All I can say, you are your own worst enemy, muppet

caroline789

Wow splash out!!

Good to have a treat every now and then, credit cards are the most evil temptation on earth.

MrsPorridge

OK - I am certainly not going to slap your wrist (check out my signature re the Credit Cards). However, I do wonder if you have really had your LBM - you state it was February 2009 so only last month? If you had truely had this then I don't think that you would have spent all that money on your CC.

I have learnt the hard way. I have consolidated via loans at least 3 times to clear my CC debt. Each time my CC debt has been zero and has then built up again and the whole cycle has begun again - building up debt on CC (incidentally with items such as you mention) and then panicking, getting a loan, and then starting up the CCs again.

Thanks to this site I have now realised that if I can't buy it I don't buy it. I now save up for stuff rather than using my CC. Beieve me it is not easy. I have been here since October and have not used my CC at all this year, despite lots of temptation (and not on luxury items), items such as new tyres for my car, heating oil etc. However, I have resisted and am determined to resist till all my CC debt is paid off and guess what? I am never, ever going to use a CC again.

I think you need to spend some more time looking around these boards for inspiration.

Until you realise that you cannot buy these items unless you can afford them I don't think you will have your LBM.

Good luck and keep posting.

Maybe if you post up an SOA that will help as you will then be able to see exactly how much money you are spending each month and where it is going?

Good luck.

McKneff

okay sweetheart, you asked for it, consider your butt kicked.

Why couldnt one of your family/ put you up when you were in Leicester.

smartpicture

Why don't you try the 'putting your c/c inside the freezer in a block of ice' tactic, so that you can get at it for essentials, but it will stop you spending on impulse. To be honest, none of those purchases were essentials, were they? lol

I used to have a theory where if I wanted something, I would write it down in a notebook. If I still thought it was a good idea in 2 weeks, I allowed mysef to buy it. I found that after 2 weeks, 90% of the things in the notebook seemed unnecessary or a waste of money.

ebonylight

Ok not that I'm trying to back myself up now because I know I was frivolous but I RELY on my straighteners and GHDs are by far the best. So even though I'm skintoed I would still have bought them rather than a cheaper alternative.

Similarly, I bought a new ipod because I do a lot of travelling, two hours on the tube every day not to mention up and down to Leicester, and again, I don't want to buy a cheaper alternative.

The phone... is probably the top thing I really didnt need, it was a pretty pink one that I fell in love with, and bought on impulse. Yes, my old phone was nackered but I could have got a free upgrade - I chose not to.

Holiday - had been booked for ages and I was just paying it off - didn't really have a choice about when really. You could argue that I don't NEED a holiday but I love travelling and it is the one thing in life I will always splash out on.

What was the other thing? Oh yes hotel in Leicester, anniehanlon, I couldn't stay at parents as I haven't lived with them for 6 years - my room is now a junkroom which is full. I used to live with ex so not got that option either... and I feel cheeky asking to stay at various friends more than once. Although when I mentioned that I had paid for a hotel this time round they all went ballistic and insisted I "do the rounds" again!!

becky_rtw

Ebony,

I wonder if you're trying to be too strict on yourself then its leading you to splash out?? Be realistic about your budget and build in an amount for treats and you'll get less splurges

(I've just booked my flights to NY for example - but they havent gone on the CC, they been paid for out of this months salary which means lots of NSDs this month and a slightly slower pay back rate on the debts but its worth it to have a motivating factor )

pebblespop

i put my card in the freezer four months ago and haven't touched it since.

i have been saving a bit of money to one side which i buy things i may have used the credit card for in the past. i know it goes against the views of this website to save when in debt but if it stops me using the card i will do it!

i now don't want to spend that money on a few bits from the supermarket or a magazine etc.

when you spend real money you think more about if you really want/need it.

tallyhoh

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..................3 Hail Mary's & no bingo for a month!

Stop trying to justify your way out, it was mainly frivolous & you know it.

vls

I can only sympathise, last week I went on an unexpected night out in London and spent £100! Not only that I had a shocking hangover for 2 days (boo). I'd been so good for ages as well - ah well baked beans for the rest of the month!