Spent £20 on nothing!

randomer

I went for an interview yesterday....very stressed. I had no change for the carpark so bought an expensive drink and sandwich. I dropped the drink!
I put too much in the meter and have just given my son £2. Not much left from a twenty.
Scarey how it just disappears.:rolleyes:

empy

It is very scary how quickly money goes, I went into town yesterday for a drs appt and had about 20 mins spare, in that 20 mins I spent about £40.00 on stuff that was not really essentials, must control myself better.
Hope the interview went well.

Trinny

Hi There

I find that too - unless i spend mindfully and plan ahead then the money just dissappears.

For example - we always used to pay parking when going to town on a Saturday - more recently we have found somewhere to park for free, It makes me mad to think about all the cash we were wasting - but its taken me a long time to think OS.

I used to buy lunch everyday - still cant get OH to take HM lunch but i try to - it means i have to make extra the night before, or pack a lunch ready to take. Its the same with leftovers - we used to throw out loads - until i found MSE and realised what could be saved by using them up.

I am still new - and we are still getting used to the OS way of life - we are better than we used to be - but no where near as good as some on here.

Dont be too tough on yourself - make small changes and gradually they will become part of the routine.


BTW - hope the interview went well

Trin

Pink.

Hi randomer,

I hope the interview went well.

You've posted a few times about impulse spending that has got out of hand. I have read that one of your goals is to try and reduce your bank charges so that you can stay within your 3k overdraft. If you concentrate on that do you think it would help you to focus?

I know it probably sounds silly but if I am trying not to spend or saving for something special I put a little note in my purse....at the moment it says the word 'holiday' and just seeing that when I open my purse makes me think twice about what I'm buying and whether or not I really need it. Another good way is to take only the amount of cash you are prepared to spend out with you, that way if it's not there you can't spend it.

I know it's a fun tool, but have you had a look at The Demotivator It can be quite grounding to see how little things like a sandwich out can add up.

I think the experienced people on the DFW board will be able to give you lots of advice and help with reigning in your spending, so I'll move your thread over there.

Good luck!

Pink

Katy_M_2

randomer wrote: »

I went for an interview yesterday....very stressed. I had no change for the carpark so bought an expensive drink and sandwich. I dropped the drink!
I put too much in the meter and have just given my son £2. Not much left from a twenty.
Scarey how it just disappears.:rolleyes:

I use to be a bit like this!

The best way I found around it is to not take your full purse/wallet out with you as Pink said above

Leave the cards at home and just take exactly what you need with you. This way there is no danger of over-spending! Might be worth a try!

randomer

thanks. The take no money rule is a good one but don't you find in times of stress it all goes wrong!
I guess I'm 60% OS now which is better than carrying on and hiding from the bank!:cool:

Pink I'm totally impressed you can assimilate info on people so well.

MrsPorridge

Taking no money with you is a good start. I like Pink's idea of the note in the purse!

I agree that at times of stress it can all go wrong - but when that happens I like to think that I don't spend as much as I used too (before discovering MSE).