Tips to stop spending!!

YoungBusinessman

Covering the "danger zone" is a good one...i find if i plan Friday and Saturday nights to be low/no spend then the rest of the week is easier.

Pennywise2012

oopsadaisydoddle wrote: »

Have also decided that because I'm a bit of a beauty product junkie (in my quest for decent skin due to acne), I'm going to use up every scrap of lotions and potions I have left before buying any more.

I was going to suggest this before I read that bit, but now I have I think it might particularly suit you!

I go on the freebies board and get free samples. It satisfies the need to shop, cos I'm still getting 'stuff', plus it's exciting when the post comes because delivery times vary so much - you've no idea what's coming.

The vast majority of freebies out there are beauty products, though! Moisturisers, balms, serums, shampoo/conditioners, soaps, perfumes, all sorts of things. (And teabags, bizarrely. There's always someone giving away teabags.)

I know it's not in the practical, leave-your-purse-at-home vein, but I find it somehow makes me feel less, well, deprived :rotfl:

oopsadaisydoddle

Thanks again for the replies. I've never looked at the freebies board..I joined a freebie website before but I never actually got sent anything - it was always fill in millions of your details and you might the chance of having something sent!!!

Is it different with the freebies board? I'll have a look of course.

YoungBusinessman - I've never thought of the danger zones before. I know a PP mentioned it and I suppose I didn't think I had any (yeah right)! Will give that some thought later.

I think our problem is that because we have a disposable income and our debt is interest free, we don't really take notice of the stuff we actually spend and on what it goes. I suppose that whilst we have the debt (albeit 0%), I should think of our disposable income differently. I have started a spending diary so I imagine that will be an eye opener!

Pennywise2012

The MSE freebies board is people posting links, you generally have to fill in a few details, and sign up for a newsletter (a lot have a separate email address for it), but it tends to be actual, legit offers, and under the MSE rules it has to be a freebie that everyone can have, not a '200 lucky winners' type of thing. Quite a few are from Boots, L'Oreal, P&G, places like that.

oopsadaisydoddle

Pennywise2012 wrote: »

The MSE freebies board is people posting links, you generally have to fill in a few details, and sign up for a newsletter (a lot have a separate email address for it), but it tends to be actual, legit offers, and under the MSE rules it has to be a freebie that everyone can have, not a '200 lucky winners' type of thing. Quite a few are from Boots, L'Oreal, P&G, places like that.

Thanks again! I'll have a look now. I think I'm gonna have a word with DH later because he's quite oblivious to what's going on with the Credit Cards. Not that he's not aware of the debt, he just tends to leave me to do the spread sheets etc. As I said in an earlier post, he always makes sure we get the cheapest of everything (apart from those must have supermarket bargains)! I think we've both just taken our eye off the ball.

I've also tweeked my budget and if I really tried, we could pay the debt by just after Xmas and have some savings by Feb!!

I'm wondering how others stay motivated?!

Oops.xx

Malky

Top tip no.45361

Knowing the difference between what you want and what you need.

oopsadaisydoddle

Malky wrote: »

Top tip no.45361

Knowing the difference between what you want and what you need.

I like this and it's so true!! Thank you.

The thing is that it won't take too much for us so we're quite (actually very)lucky in that sense and with a bit of effort we'll be able to have some wants as well as needs!

oopsadaisydoddle

Well I've not had too bad a week. Started a spending diary and haven't spent too much until the end of the week when we spend £30 on takeaway. I did the demotivator and it worked out at over £1500 per yr - or 3 and a half weeks work!!!! We can afford this but it really opened my eyes as to how much we were actually spending so we're going to have 'fakeaways' instead and maybe just have one a month instead of one a week. I usually make homemade pizza's anyway but think we might get those Indian/Chinese dishes that u can get in the supermarket as well.

Re my spending diary. I was going to write everything on it including groceries etc but seeing as we budget for those, and our wasteful ways mainly relate to our 'entertainment' budget, I'm going to just do it for everything not accounted for.

Had a talk with DH the other day and we're going to try and reduce out entertainment to £200 per month which will mean we can be clear by Jan/Feb. Also by June which is when we were going to be debt free, we'll have enough to renovate our living and dining rooms.

Was wondering how people motivated themselves to sticking to things? Like I said at the beginning of the thread, we do have some disposable income but that has probably made us complacent.

Stitch2012

I think I'm a bit like you, I have disposable income and currently owe £400 on next card and £950 on a overdraft. What I am finding is keeping my motivated is the little things. I'm really focused on making money via eBay and fb and not letting the money come from our current accounts.

I've been eating from cupboards and reducing my food shop, when I'm at home with my youngest I try and find free things to do with her, before shopping was my biggest downfall now I rarely go to town. X

oopsadaisydoddle

Bit of a slip up today! Spent a bit more than I'd hope in my groceries...all stuff I needed though that I'd forgot to put on my list! Still got some of my budget left though so will have to eeeek that out.

I bought some cakes for lunches that were really cheap from Aldi and also a couple of packs of Jaffa cake bars..I used to always make my own cakes but not sure it always works out cheaper - what does everyone think?

On the plus side, I did my sis's nails last night and she gave me £10. I didn't want to take it because we're just gonna take turns at buying the stuff but she wanted to treat me cos DD been poorly and I still did them for her. Wouldn't normally take money off her cos not going to do this as a business, but she insisted!