One Retailer - One Month - No spending

Flat_Eric

Late last year, I made the decision that I wanted to start 2011 in as good a financial position as I could and thus decided to cut back on my spending. My previous challenge is detailed here Previous Challenge

After restarting the challenge in late 2010 and then again at the beginning of 2011 (albeit a bit more relaxed), I have to confess that my efforts to change my poor spending habits have failed.:(

SO I begin again. I have created a new money spreadsheet so will if I want, be able to keep track of every penny thats passes through my grubby little paws!

I have also decided that I need to address my obsession with online shopping. I can quite happily avoid visiting the shops in person but this practice to avoid spending money fails miserably when I switch on my computer....

So I have decided this is number one priority and needs to be addressed NOW before I find myself at the end of 2011 financing Christmas once again on my credit card and spending all of 2012 paying it off and repeating the same process over and over again.

My aims are as follows: -

(1) To pay off my credit card (currently £699)
(2) To be in credit before I get paid and not have my salary eaten up by my overdraft. (I cannot remember the last time I wasn't overdrawn prior to being paid).
(3) To replenish my savings which are now non existent thanks to previous overindulgences on my credit card.
(4) To be able to make an off the cuff impulse purchase such as a holiday or to replace a household item at the drop of a hat if said item broke.
(5) to have money squirreled away so that when I am on holiday, I can enjoy it and not have to worry that I can't afford to enjoy myself - take that boat trip etc.
(6) Similarly if I lost my job, to have some money to see me through until I found a new one.
(7) To pay for Christmas and birthdays out of my current account - not my credit card!
(8) Generally to improve my financial position once and for all. To stop wasting money buying dvds that I don't watch/craft stuff I don't need/books that I don't get round to reading for months on end(for example buying a book in hardback because I must have it right away so that I can read it only to find it coming out in paperback at a fraction of the price and I still haven't read it!!)

So rather than setting myself up to fail before I start, I am going to be kind to myself. One retailer, One month, no spending. May is Amaz8n!

In April, I spent £110.68 with this retailer, £68.12 in March, £61.10 in Feb and £126.44 in January. Hmmm the small sum of £366.34. No wonder I am overdrawn within days of the month starting.

I will keep you posted as to how I get on and if any of you would like to join me, you are more than welcome. I am hoping that by setting myself lots of mini challenges, my overall aims will be easy to achieve.

dark_angel_2002

good luck with your challange will be following with interest I find small goals are a lot easier then you can easily keep track instead of trying to juggle all your goals in one go

elantan

Oh i can so relate to this .... Thankfully ( although not so ) someone hacked my account with them ( didnt get any money) this caused me to close that account thus taking away the temptation .... Just need to find some where else to sell my books

Flat_Eric

I love book shops. There is just something about them. I think I even harbor a secret passion to work in one - or a library. :j

So whenever I visit the shops, book shops are a must. My ban doesn't include book shops so I knew I could quite happily, guilt free visit them today and make any purchase of my choosing so thats why I find myself with a new addition to my library - The Fry Chronicles - happily I got this half price but in checking that I was getting the best price between two book sellers, found myself browsing the 3 for 2 books in Water$tone$. Water$tone$ had the same price for this book, the only catch was that you had to spend £10 first - all well and good but why spend £10 unnecessarily? The 3 for 2 offer always appears very attractive but with most fiction books retailing at 7.99 odd - thats £16 for the 3 books meaning £5.33 per book. Once you remember this, the deal doesn't seem so attractive anymore. Particularly when you know that a book that is being sold for £7.99 can probably be picked up on amazo% for three pounds odd which is exactly what happened with a book I saw in water$tones today that took my fancy. So up until now, no spends in amazo%! but one little book won't hurt me thinks and they (on the forum) won't know (if I don't tell of course:rotfl:) so I add it to my basket and then read the reviews which lead me to think that the book probably isn't for me and ok - only £3 odd but what about my ban and the only person I am cheating is myself etc etc. So book still in my basket but unpurchased. I have hundreds (and I do mean hundreds) of books to read so why I feel the need to buy more (which will more than likely remain unread!) is beyond me!

So I start reading the fry chronicles on the way home which leads me to his previous book Moab is my washpot- off to amaz5n I go again but this book is 6 pounds odd - that I can't justify - library has it but both on loan. May be if I get to the end of the month with no ama$on spends then that can be my treat or i can ask for it for my birthday.

My other wobble moment so far has been the richard and judy summer book list - earlier in the year I bought ten books on amazon that appealed to me - most from their spring list. I haven't read any of them. So why I feel the need to buy more is beyond me? Particularly as they are all in paperback and therefore probably readily available from the library. Ho hum. back to the drawing board.