Give great money saving advice but in debt myself - HELP!!

mousegirl

Why is it that I can give good saving advice to my friends yet find it so hard to save myself. I try and buy thriftily but end up buying what I don't need. Help - someone please tell me how to start off cutting back and saving.

JillD_2

do the things you probably have said to others, start a spending diary and then over a month or whatever you can see "oh I spent 320 on coffees, 310 on magazines" etc etc

JillD_2

sorry my post was really abrupt! Didnt mean it to be.
Should also have said you know yourself what to do and you can do it . Take it in small steps and one day at a time and you will be able to make things get better gradually
Good luck

mousegirl

Thanks for responding. Have begun attempting to sell off what I no longer need on ebay, but at moment cost of listing is slightly outweighing purchases that have sold, am being cautious and if it doesn't improve I'm going to have a car boot sale with a friend. I keep looking round my cluttered house and think that if it was clearer my mind would be clearer too. Have organised spreadsheet that shows me exactly what money needs to go out to pay bills, I currently bank online and it is easier to view what I'm spending. Have applied for a new credit card that's just come through with 13 months balance transfer, just need to call and transfer the balance now, at least I won't be paying interest. I still feel like it's the little things that are getting me down. Can't even pay monthly shopping bill without putting it on my credit card, that's what bumped it up again after I paid it off (through tax owed). Have got a sectional cash box to put in cash to go towards things, like a few days away that I got through collecting tokens out of the paper, the holiday is paid for but have no spending so thought this would help. It's sometimes too easy to just move money around using internet banking. Have still used my total overdraft, want to get to the point where I'm not using one but having gone part time at work due to birth of second child, it seems to be really hard getting used to not having any spare cash to do as I like anymore. Have bought Martin's thrifty book - great ideas for cleaning products am definitely going to try these when my current products run out. Also want to try and use food products that I have instead of just stocking up all the time, doesn't seem to save me anything and I'm just filling cupboards that I could really use the space. Have got son's first birthday coming up next month, luckily I've bought presents throughout the year in sales so I'm ok on that score, will do a small picnic party in the garden to hopefully save on costs and am just going to look at the tips for old fashioned parties to see if I get any ideas.
Any ideas from anyone would be appreciated.

wannasavemoney

It takes a while to adjust yourself to less wage coming in. We lost my wage a few years ago and It was only a few months ago that we really put the brakes on our spending. I find it helps to have a goal to aim for and then you question any spending that doesn't help you achieve your goal for instance, we have 100 thou mortgage that we want to pay off in 10 years. which basically means paying off double the required amount per month. It helps to keep this in focus when you get the urge to buy something you don't need. It also helps if you only go shopping for things you realy need and then only take enough money for those things. It is difficult with all the temptations put in your way but eventually, it becomes the norm as opposed to just being able to buy what you want. A lot of the time if you put off buying something you want for at least a day, then the next day you will find that you don't realy want/need it anyway.

ZTD

Make a list - and only buy on the list. If it isn't on the list - you do without. If you really want it, you have to go back home and do another list, with that on. That will stop impulse buying.

Why do you buy stuff you don't need? A thoughtful answer required here...

mousegirl

Thanks for help. It feels so difficult, have only my part time wage now as husband no long qualifies for incapacity benefit - hoping he'll get a new job soon. I know that I buy because it makes me feel good, not because I need something. Am really trying, son's first b'day coming up and when people have asked what to buy him I've asked for a couple of quid instead to put in his bank account - this makes me feel positive for him - I'd bought loads of stuff over the last year in the sales and also saved stuff from my daughter so there's nothing he needs and as I can't save much in his account I thought this would be better. New credit card came through with 13 months balance transfer free interest but it cost me 23 quid to transfer my balance of £800, feel like I've been 'done' here, but I can breathe a bit easier with that. Landed with a £52 optician and £60 dentist charges this month - that's really put me back. Always seems to be something stops me in my tracks.
Feel a bit sad.

chocaholic110

I know where you're coming from as I used to be very similar. I sort of thought because I bought lots of "bargains" that I was good with money.

Selling on ebay does help though, as when I look at things in shops now I can usually remember selling something very similar on ebay for much less than I paid for it, having barely used it at all...it sort of puts you off buying what you don't need.

It can just be like breaking the habit. As others have said, keep a spending diary - it's frightening where the money disappears to.

oh, and good luck!

pippo

Hi MG - a lot if it is just habit or you spend 'cos it's expected. Your boy will have a super B'day 'cos you've thought of him all year & you'll not be resentful about his special day a month later when all those other people would have the bills coming in.

Mozette

Well I would say, it's always really easy to sort out other people's problems, (in whatever area) because you're not emotionally involved, so it's just a matter of logic. When it's yourself, even if you know what you should be doing, it's not so easy. Definitely a spending diary though, then if you are as much of a spreadsheet saddo as I, the amount you spend on trivia can be astounding. Lattes, sandwiches, they so add up...

pippo

The 'unnecessary challenge' works for me - come over to our board & see if it works for you too.