Overspending issue

Timetochange89

I have posted on credit card debt, someone has advised me to post here to get advice on how to curb my overspending?! I am going around in circles every month with my debt! Any advice would be really helpful

My monthly wage is just £800
Car/home £170
Credit debt £4000 - £100 min a month
Mobile £35
Gym £30

thecassman86

Did you intend to start a second thread?

ReadingTim

Fill out a statement of affairs (see sticky at the top of the forum) to present a more complete picture to allow others to help, but from the small info here I'd suggest the following:

dump the gym
get a SIM only deal
find a better paying job / way to earn more money

tiger_eyes

OK, I assume you live with family hence no other bills mentioned. You should have a huge amount left over every month, around £465 - do you actually have that money spare? If not, you need to start keeping a spending diary to figure out where the money is going.

Timetochange89

tiger_eyes wrote: »

OK, I assume you live with family hence no other bills mentioned. You should have a huge amount left over every month, around £465 - do you actually have that money spare? If not, you need to start keeping a spending diary to figure out where the money is going.

Yes I live at home. In theory I should have that money left over but somehow I don't! And I'm just going round in circles. I need to start a spending diary and not buying things I don't need! If I cut back in the end will that help me get back to having money left over?

gazzer666

Timetochange89 wrote: »

Yes I live at home. In theory I should have that money left over but somehow I don't! And I'm just going round in circles. I need to start a spending diary and not buying things I don't need! If I cut back in the end will that help me get back to having money left over?

Er, spending less = more money left over. Rather obvious really.

tiger_eyes

Timetochange89 wrote: »

Yes I live at home. In theory I should have that money left over but somehow I don't! And I'm just going round in circles. I need to start a spending diary and not buying things I don't need! If I cut back in the end will that help me get back to having money left over?

OK. Pick up the nearest notebook and pen. Turn to the first blank page. That's your March page. From now on, the notebook and pen go with you everywhere. Every time you spend money - whether that be a newspaper, a coffee in Starbucks, a few drinks in the pub - you log it on your page for March. At the end of March, turn the page and start afresh for April. At the end of April, you should have a log of six weeks' spending and a good idea of where all the money goes.

You need this information to begin controlling spending. For example, if you're burning £10 a day on lunch and coffee at work, you can bring a packed lunch and a flask of coffee from home. If you're splashing the cash at the pub all weekend, you can give yourself a limited budget for alcohol and alternate with tap water to minimise spending. But everything has to go into the spending diary. There's no substitute for knowing exactly what's going on.

Timetochange89

tiger_eyes wrote: »

OK. Pick up the nearest notebook and pen. Turn to the first blank page. That's your March page. From now on, the notebook and pen go with you everywhere. Every time you spend money - whether that be a newspaper, a coffee in Starbucks, a few drinks in the pub - you log it on your page for March. At the end of March, turn the page and start afresh for April. At the end of April, you should have a log of six weeks' spending and a good idea of where all the money goes.

I think the note book idea would help sometimes I'd go into boots and spend the odd £10 - £20 now I know I can't do that anymore if I want to get my debt down now!
Thanks for the advice