budgetting advice please sweeties

ZTD

lynsayjane wrote: »

no, I don't buy it for the cashback, and I'm not really that bad but, for example, when my dad came up on wed we went to bnq and the wallpaper I really wanted for the hallway was half price, my dad asked if i had the money and i said, don't worry I'll put it on my cc. this in itself isn't a problem as I'm never so tight I can't pay it off, it just severally limits any debt overpayments/savings.

But I'd bet it's not the purchases of wallpaper that's causing you to be anxious about your spending and to say it's going pie-eyed. What are you buying that you think is doing so much damage to your debt repayments?

lynsayjane

ZTD wrote: »

But I'd bet it's not the purchases of wallpaper that's causing you to be anxious about your spending and to say it's going pie-eyed. What are you buying that you think is doing so much damage to your debt repayments?

booze and men....well I only pay for one of those! honest :rolleyes:


I'd say if you looked at my most common spends it's all asda's fault. there are weeks where all my spends are there, and we're not talking clothes n things, it's all food, I'll nip in for the odd bag of crisps and juice etc. I guess it's the odd couple of pound here and there, though my going out fund gets blown every month guarenteed. but I NEED a social life! and only spend £20-30 when I go out.

ps, wouldn't say I'm anxious about my spends, I dont' spend more than I earn or anythin, I just do as I always did, if I get £100 I spend £100, if I earn £10 I spend £10.... no matter how little I get I always seem to manage but whenI get extra it seems to disappear...

Snaggles

Give it a try for a month or two, then review it to see how you are doing - it depends on what motivates you - if seeing actual cold hard cash left over at the end of the month is what it takes to inspire you to not spend as much, then go for it.

immoral_angeluk

I like to keep my budgets simple as there's less to go wrong... So I budget for the MAIN things that I'll need to spend on that month.. for example this month I have food, petrol, car tax and mot saving budgets... as well as a budget for stag and hen do's we'll be going on this month as well as a wedding present. Then what's left have been split into 2 lots of 'spending money' for me and DH which has to pay for anything else we get.

lynsayjane

Snaggles wrote: »

Give it a try for a month or two, then review it to see how you are doing - it depends on what motivates you - if seeing actual cold hard cash left over at the end of the month is what it takes to inspire you to not spend as much, then go for it.

I think seeing my holiday fund increase is what'll make it worthwile, when I put that £10 in there this evening I went woohoo I have a holiday fund! I want a holiday more than anything and I think that'll give me the buzz, even if it only pays for my clothes for it and my leftover wages (in savings account) which will hopefully not get touched pay for the actual holiday.

lynsayjane

Ia did they take the link out of your sig for donating money to your race for life? thats really bad! it's not like you were forcing people to donate or making a profit from it, only giving them the chance to donate to charity. poor show mse!

Toto

Give it a go Lynsay. I find I'm worse with cash than I am with the debit card. I do however have my terramundis which get all of my change to save up for christmas, holidays etc.

What I found to be super helpful for me though was to keep a picture in my purse of the house in Canada I would like to buy. This stops me dead when I'm about to buy that odd sandwich in tesco. Maybe scatter some holiday brochures around the house, just to act as a little reminder and to keep you focused.

ZTD

lynsayjane wrote: »

I'd say if you looked at my most common spends it's all asda's fault. there are weeks where all my spends are there, and we're not talking clothes n things, it's all food, I'll nip in for the odd bag of crisps and juice etc. I guess it's the odd couple of pound here and there, though my going out fund gets blown every month guarenteed. but I NEED a social life! and only spend £20-30 when I go out.

Right, so why don't you take someone's trick (forgotton who) of putting money into envelopes at the beginning of the week/month, and taking them with you - so once it's gone, it's gone.

BUT! You have more than one envelope. One for work, for asda spends. One for your going out spends etc.

Anything left over - goes on debt.

How does that sound?

tesuhoha

This is an old fashioned idea and I think it is a good one. However, it was designed as a way to pay bills. I too have 'pots' but they are metaphorical as they are online accounts, current and otherwise that I pay my money into. For instance I save £20 per week towards car expenses and it goes into one of our current accounts. I save £50 per month towards Christmas and it goes into a savings account, etc, etc. I think it is safer and less tempting not to have money lying around but I still like going along with the pot principle and so do it this way.

lynzpower

One thing that one of my mates does, is when in thier supermarket ( i think they shop at asda too) if they underspend ( by a pound or two ) they add those savings stickers to a card. Soon enough they have enough for a "free" weeks shopping ( she actually saved hers for Xmas and bought some presssies with it as well)

Alsao if you are shopping at asda- dont forget to check your recipets- if they overcharge you by even a penny, take your recipt to the CS desk & they will give you a £2 gift card good for next weeks shopping, buying bits of clothes, saving for Xmas, etc.