Limit weekly spending

rach30ipswich

Hi All,

I have a bad habit of going to the local superstore virtually on daily basis with the intention of buying bread or milk etc... But somehow I manage to spot the offers and soon enough my basket is full, most of the time I leave the store thinking how did that happen?

The worst of it is I know how it happened, I took my debit card with me! So I have access to my bank and funds so I simply contiue to spend money. It needs to stop! I viewed my bank statement today and it shows that on a daily basis I am spending between £8-£12 (approx). That's just Monday to Friday!

Come the weekend I wander in to town (as I live 5 mins walk from my town centre). Before I know it I have popped in to Debenhams, etc etc and spotted 'bargains'...and yes you can guess I am then going home with bags of clothes and items which most of the time I don't need.

I feel that I am becomming addicted to shopping and I obviously enjoy the feeling of spending 'money'! This needs to be curbed... I am seeking advice/help/motivation from you all to help me in my quest to stop shopping!

Please can you offer me some reasonable help as to how I can avoid spending every penny I earn so quickly! Fortunately I tend to spend by debit card rather than credit card, but that's not to say I don't do it either!

My intention is to become debt free, I have a credit card with approx £1,000 spent on it at the moment. But I would really like to get rid of this as soon as possible...

* Is leaving my purse at home something that is a good option and setting myself a daily/weekly budget? Has this worked for others and is it easy to get in to the swing of? I think I'll have withdrawal symptons from not tapping in my pin code at the till but I am willing to give anything a try.

All advice welcomed.

Thanks for your time

DEVONLIFE_2

Hi
Ever thought of just taking out enough cash with you to buy what you need? Leave the card at home. Then you can only spend the cash in your pocket!

rach30ipswich

Thanks Devonlife. Yeah I am seriously contemplating a weekly budget and leaving my purse at home. I think it's a major step forward for me...

Cheers

DEVONLIFE_2

Try using a spending diary. Write down everything you spend no matter how small you will be suprised how much you spend! Best of luck.DL.

Cyril

I had this problem. I'd go to the garage for a loaf of bread and see all the offers and then a magazine etc then £14 later, and this was every other day.

What I do now is do a weekly shop and fill the car up with petrol so I avoid the garage and local co-op and take cash only. This way I have controlled my spending by reducing the ' need' to go to the smaller shops.

rach30ipswich

That's a really good idea DL, and it is something I have never ever thought of! So simple but effective. I will begin this today with gusto!

Aprreciate your help.

DEVONLIFE_2

No problem thats what this forum is for.

goingon30_2

i know it sounds a bit daft but I have been getting my milk delivered by the milkman (slghtly more expensive than shops) and it really stops my need to go out to the shop. If i need a loaf of bread i add it to my order online the night before. It has really helped me. Google Milk&More to see if they deliver in your area.

Pee

I do this as well and when I don't keep an eye on my spending, it gets really out of hand, like you say, mainly on "bargains"!

I think writing a diary of what you spend is a good idea, as is carrying only a small amount of cash (my boyfriend spends a lot more when he is carrying lots of cash, obviously psychological) and also consider online shopping or freezing bread and milk.

josephine82

Hiya!
I agree with what others have said above- try to limit going to the supermarket too often- i do one big monthly shop and then one on a sunday afternoon for fruit & veg and stuff for the weeks lunches.
In terms of other spending, taking out the cash and leaving your card at home is one way and quite an effective one. It makes you count your pennies.

I would suggest (something I did and it shocked me to my very core that I just stopped spending) is to go through 3 months worth of bank statements, add up everything you spend on everything. This will show you what you are buying and will really help to give you an idea of where it is going wrong.
Also- do you have a realistic budget in place? If you don't then this is a good place to start- you need to think of everything that you need to pay for and then budget for it monthly- leaving you money to pay off your debts and then some money for you to live on.

rach30ipswich

Thanks Cyril. I am definitley going to have to do this from now on.

I tend not to do a ''big'' shop each week and that's why I am always running the store every 5 mins. But looks like I will be writing lists and planning from now on! Also I think I will bring in to work packed lunches and that way there's no reason to needlesly visit the superstore.

Taking cash with me rather than my cards is a must, fresh start here I come!

Cheers