The Great "Self Discipline" Hunt

trying-very-trying

Triker wrote: »

Another tip for not spending that last £20, £10 or £5 note and running out of money before payday.

Get an envelope and a 2nd class stamp and post yourself your money so that it's timed to arrive at the end of the week, just when your about to completely run out of cash.

Result - you cannot have spent it in the meantime and it's a little treat to look forward to.

That's fine if you trust the postal service.

blackangeluk

Not read all the replies so apologies if I am repetitive. My new found self discipline tips are:-

(a) I work in Manchester and make sure I walk to/from the train station without passing any shops
(b) take my lunch in every day so that I don't have to go out and be tempted by said shops
(c) me and DH now take out specific amount of money per week for "spends" (on top of fridge for would be burglars ) and once it's gone it's gone.
(d) I now only carry one debit card as an emergency and it rarely sees the light of day
(e) It I see something I really want I think can I get it cheaper anywhere else, get any discount via quidco, get it cheaper on ebay.....I will go home and research it and by the time I have done that I have usually gone off the idea.
(f) my new found discipline is that I need some clothes for my holiday, I intend to pay for those clothes by selling on ebay some clothes I don't wear any more and I cannot spend more than what I earn from selling so I need to be good. I did this for kids birthdays and it worked.
(g) online shopping is best :j
(h) most of all the burden of my debt is always with me and I do not want to have the stress of increasing it, that is normally enough to stop me buying anything.

p.s. My Harry Potter book is still in the Amazon basket too!

newleaf

I thought of something else. Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. It's amazing what junk ends up in your trolley when you do.

cawyatt

I've used to keep a diet diary - writing down what I ate, when and why. Now I keep a spending diary and it really helps to see "muffin and latte in Costa - £3.75, no time for lunch earlier" there in black-and-white. At the end of the month I look back at all the things I really could have done without, see what made me do it, and act accordingly!

Jnelhams

Easy ways to stop spending........

1) As others have said always grocery shop online, look for delivery codes and you will not end up buying Mongolian Chocolate and an 18 portion cake coz it was on offer.

2) Only buy good quality products, i.e. not a Woolies Vacuum cleaner, but save up for a Sebo etc... that way you don't have to buy another one 13 months later in another bloomin' sale :mad:

3) Make your own wines and cider at home, much more fun, dead easy and you make lots of new friends.....:rotfl: :beer:

4) Spend you evenings in logged in to MONEYSAVING EXPERT OF COURSE! :T

5) Swap stuff with friends and bulk buy with friends at the local Makro/Costco.

6) Grow your own veggies/ fruit - Any one with a garden can grow an Apple Tree or a Plum Tree (Then you can make lovely Plum Wine....)

less_is_more_2

Do I need it?
Is it worth it?

Can I get it at a better price elsewhere?

If in doubt, walk out.:think:

bluedove

easy ways to stop spending.

1)i do a list and stick to the list whenever i shop for groceries

2) i browse through this website every evening it keeps inside the house

3) i work in my local pub every friday or saturday night, i get paid and have free drinks after work.

mooingzelda

After reading this thread I've been inspired to give up shopping for as long as I can... I buy far too many things that I don't need on impulse and it needs to stop!

I'm also going to take up some of the good advice offered here, like just using Paypal to buy things from the proceeds of eBay sales and buying groceries online.

Wish me luck!

Hime

Do you need it? Will you use it? Will it last? are the first three questions we ask.
If it is clothing, does it go with everything else in the wardrobe? Do you have the right shoes etc already to go with it?
Another basic rule; for everything one buys one should be able to get rid of something in the house to avoid excess clutter. This gets the old head working. Parting with stuff is difficult, often more so than buying something new.
If it cannot be a substitute item, is there a space to keep it is another question.
And the money saver in me always does the price x 6% interest calculation over 12 months to see how much better off we would be if we do not shop!! (Ok, so the tax is not deducted...)

Penelopa.Pitstop

I don't like high street shopping. I buy most of the things over internet so I always have time to think before. I buy groceries on-line so no problem with some unnecessary products.

Every time I want to buy something bigger I do internet reasearch, read reviews, looking for different brands etc, then I think about it for a few days before deciding. I hate to buy things I won't use so I always think - do I really need it? Would I use it?

In case of doubts I think about mortgage I'm planing to take next year and how much more it will cost if I spend money on some silly things instead of building good deposit.

I'm quite good at this and when I look at my budget I regret I can't cut it more, because it's already so well tailored. Nothing unnecessary.