Spiderdijon's "Stop spending money on food" diary

spiderdijon

Hi everyone,

My story:
I'm spiderdijon (obv not my real name ha ha), I'm 22 and I have recently moved back in with my parents so *should* have alot of money spare to save up for a new car. As it stands, I am in my overdraft and only have just over £100 saved up.
I know exactly why this is but it still doesn't stop me! These are my problem areas:

1. FOOD!!!!! I have a weakness for McDonalds and always get up too late to make sandwiches for work so I always end up in the cafe.
2. Boyfriend. I am totally weak here. I buy him little presents all the time, he never wants to accept them but for some reason I just keep buying them! Daft, I know. So this has to stop.
3. Splurging. I am quite tight with money on everything else (eg. can't justify going out and spending my money on drinking, shopping etc) but then I stupidly think "Oh I'm always so well behaved, I deserve to go mad for a day" Last time I did this I spent £350 I didn't have on clothes for a job interview that wasn't even successful!

So I've made myself a spreadsheet.
Page 1 = Colour coded spending diary
Page 2 = Debts (fixed monthly payments, hence me not paying them off with savings)
Page 3 = Savings!

My first step was paying my credit card off with my overdraft, as the interest rate is lower and my overdraft will automatically get paid off, I have the tendancy to forget about my credit card balance. I'm giving my credit card to my Dad to put in his safe so it will be for *serious* emergencies.
Second step was my lovely new spreadsheet.
Third step is this diary! I spend so much time lurking around the boards on here and I want to be able to post when I've done something MSE! Even if nobody reads/comments it is still public so I have to behave.

So yes, that is it! By Christmas my loan will be paid off and I *will* have enough money saved for a nice new car.

Wish me luck!

Spiderdijon xx

IWantToBeFree_2

Hiya

Just wanted to say good luck on your DFW & savings journey!

I can sympathise with you on the food point, I used to HATE making sandwiches etc to take to work, and even when I did I would still spend about a fiver a day on breakfast and diet coke, but I started making sandwiches in the evening and getting some cereal to take to work with me, and weened myself off the diet coke and now I spend nothing on food at work. It makes a big different to our budget and saves us about £25 a week!

spiderdijon

Hi IWantToBeFree, thanks for replying

I think food is a downfall for alot of people isn't it? I'm trying to convert everyone in my office to packed-lunch eaters so they don't tempt me with bacon sandwiches every day

I'm going to get one of those piggy banks you have to smash open to save any change I have lying around. I saw one in a gadget shop the other day for £1 so next time I'm in town I'll get one (the old, Spiderdijon would have gone all the way to town just to get one, wasting petrol and parking, tut tut)

Primula

Hello and welcome
I know exactly what you mean too about wasting money on food. I have been ultra careful this past month and have managed to pay £210 on top of my regular payment to my credit card. A lot of this would normally have been spent on takeaways or meals out. One piece of advice I would definitely give you, is to definitely keep coming on this site, the people are wonderful and so motivating. Good luck.

spiderdijon

Thanks Primula I certainly intend to keep coming back. I like being nosey so reading through all the threads is turning into quite an enjoyable pastime:rolleyes:

IWantToBeFree_2

spiderdijon wrote: »

Hi IWantToBeFree, thanks for replying

I think food is a downfall for alot of people isn't it? I'm trying to convert everyone in my office to packed-lunch eaters so they don't tempt me with bacon sandwiches every day

I'm going to get one of those piggy banks you have to smash open to save any change I have lying around. I saw one in a gadget shop the other day for £1 so next time I'm in town I'll get one (the old, Spiderdijon would have gone all the way to town just to get one, wasting petrol and parking, tut tut)

I wish I could do the same in our office, I cringe at those who buy their breakfast from the canteen and then buy expensive sandwich lunches at lunch time. I know some of them are living in their overdrafts and upto their eyeballs in debt and just wish that they could see how much of a difference they would make by making just small changes!

spiderdijon

Ohhh I am fighting the urge to go shopping!

Here is my train of thought

"Well you have taken 3 steps towards being sensible with money so going to town to get yourself a piggy bank won't hurt will it...ooo you could get a diary to carry around and write things down in too, and maybe some new shoes...it won't matter because you're becoming MSE now."

So what I am doing is purposely not getting dressed all day. I don't think my shopping urges will get strong enough for me to go out in pjamas :rotfl:

I might go and see what this "dooyoo" business is all about, someone said they made £200 in a year, I want that!

TestCall

I've got similar issues - I can admit to myself that I'm just too lazy to cook, but never seem to do anything about it. Mainly because I can't cook. My job's handy in that I get meals provided but for evening meals I have a bad habit of popping up to the McDonalds drive through or phoning Dominos. Not helping my wallet nor my waistline.

I wish you the very best of luck!

IWantToBeFree_2

spiderdijon wrote: »

Ohhh I am fighting the urge to go shopping!

Here is my train of thought

"Well you have taken 3 steps towards being sensible with money so going to town to get yourself a piggy bank won't hurt will it...ooo you could get a diary to carry around and write things down in too, and maybe some new shoes...it won't matter because you're becoming MSE now."

So what I am doing is purposely not getting dressed all day. I don't think my shopping urges will get strong enough for me to go out in pjamas :rotfl:

I might go and see what this "dooyoo" business is all about, someone said they made £200 in a year, I want that!

I am a member on Dooyoo and have made about £40 since I started. It is time consuming and can be demoralising if you aren't writing great reviews as people are quick to have a go.

You need to write 150 words to get 50p, but if you just churn out 150 word reviews, no one will rate them, and its the ratings that help push up your earnings the most as people are continually rating each other.

spiderdijon

Well I have joined Dooyoo! I hope nobody has a go at me :A I just wrote a review about The Sims 3 so I'll see how that does.

I did that challenge on Qype last year where you had to write 50 reviews for a £50 amazon voucher. I ended up carrying on reviewing things so I could get that ninja teddy :rolleyes: So hopefully that will help me with my Dooyoo reviews because I can't think of anything to write about, I need inspiration.

Time consuming is good though, I am going stir crazy living with my parents cooped up in my bedroom, I need distractions

Testcall, you have made me want a McDonalds now haha. Those mozzarella dippers are like heaven in a paper bag *drools*
I'm off to look at my spending diary now to take away my McDonalds craving:whistle:

TestCall

It doesn't help that my first ever job was in a McDonalds. Funnily enough, living on that stuff didn't put me off it.

Have a stick of celery!