How To Stop Spending?

Ratison

I would agree with the above post - allowing yourself some treats is probably far more sustainable than complete abstinence for the vast majority of us. Living a miserable existence is more likely to mean that people go back to old habits and think "screw it."

If you are paying off your debts at a pace that is comfortable for you and your creditors, then it's no-one's business to judge.

FrugalinShropshire

Ratison wrote: »

Living a miserable existence is more likely to mean that people go back to old habits and think "screw it."

.

I believe it is only a miserable existence if you let it be that. I certainly dont have a miserable life and we have a £35 a month going out budget between us. It's great fun to see what we can get for that amount. Some months we dont spend it especially when we take flasks and lunch with us. We paid off our debts and mortgatge without ever feeling hard done by.

Muhren

FrugalinShropshire wrote: »

I believe it is only a miserable existence if you let it be that. I certainly dont have a miserable life and we have a £35 a month going out budget between us. It's great fun to see what we can get for that amount. Some months we dont spend it especially when we take flasks and lunch with us. We paid off our debts and mortgatge without ever feeling hard done by.

Like I said I have a lot of respect for people who can live like that but it isn't for me. For example I won tickets (via the comps board on here) to go to see teh NFL game at Wembley on Sunday, with the cost of travel, drinks and food I spent £40 but I am so glad I went. I am also going on a stag do to Spain next year and have been to Hamburg this year on one (which I got stick for on here).

Everyone is different and will have varying ideas of how much they should afford themselves each month for entertainment, there isn't a right or wrong answer. I am currently paying back my debt at a rate of around £750 a month plus putting £500 into a share save at work so I am more than happy to allow myself some money to enjoy myself with. Even though I am paying the money back to my mum and dad, my dad keeps telling me to go out more as he thinks I am being too strict on myself.

almamatters1985

Running_man wrote: »

Have I got that right.You have £40 per week so £160 per month over £2000 a year to spend on yourself?
You have debts ?
And you are on this thread to tell people how to stop spending.Think you do really need to look again
Not meant to be offensive but that money should be going towards debt repayment

No, I think the poster was on this thread to explain how she cut down her spending, not stopped. She had some great tips too. For most people its a learning curve where your behaviours change gradually. Most people are not super duper perfect thrifty people to begin with (or ever!) Its not for you to judge where anyone's money should be going. Live and let live.

jonny7227

Sorry guys, but can someone explain the code at the bottom of your messages please? LBM? Beds at LBM? Etc

lhead123

jonny7227 wrote: »

Sorry guys, but can someone explain the code at the bottom of your messages please? LBM? Beds at LBM? Etc

LBM means Light Bulb Moment - the moment you pulled your head out from the sand and realised you really needed to pay off your debt x

Running_man

SlitheryElf wrote: »

No, I think the poster was on this thread to explain how she cut down her spending, not stopped. She had some great tips too. For most people its a learning curve where your behaviours change gradually. Most people are not super duper perfect thrifty people to begin with (or ever!) Its not for you to judge where anyone's money should be going. Live and let live.

Wasn't meant to be a judgement.Also believe should have some pleasure or what is the point.
Just seems a lot if both partners have same amount as itcomes to over £4000 a year
Would not judge anybody and I apologize if that is the way it came over

triple_choc_chip

jonny7227 wrote: »

Sorry guys, but can someone explain the code at the bottom of your messages please? LBM? Beds at LBM? Etc

Courtesy of Tixy:

DFW / MSE Forum Lingo –

DFD - Debt Free Date
DFW - Debt Free Wannabe (well, some people DO ask...)
SOA - Statement of Affairs
NSD - No Spend day
LSD - Low Spend Day
PAD - Payment a Day (as in PAD challenge)
CC - Credit card
DD - Direct debit
DCA - Debt Collection Agency
CCA - Consumer Credit agreement
WEM - Winning Email
OS - Old Style
MB - matched betting
HSW - HighStreetWeb, a 'quidco click'
CAG - Consumer Action Group
PDL - Payday Loan

General Forum Lingo –

LOL – Laugh out loud
ROTFL – Roll on the floor laughing
LMAO – Laugh my a**e off
DH,DS,DD,DP,DW etc – Darling…. Husband, son, daughter, partner, wife etc
!!!!!!? – What the f***?
!!!!!! - For ****'s sake
IYSWIM - if you see what I mean
IYKWIM - if you know what I mean
TMI - too much information
OP - original poster
IMHO/IMO - In my honest opinion/In my opinion
HTH - Hope that/this helps
PMPL - Peeing my pants laughing
ROTFLMAOWPMP - Rolling on the floor laughing my a**e off while peeing my pants laughing..
LTPCO - Laugh till pee comes out (courtesy of BunnyInTheLights )
PPI - Payment Protection Insurance
PLPP - Personal Loan Payment Protection
PP - Payment Protection
IIRC - If I remember correctly
Troll - A person who posts intentionally controversial posts to cause fights and arguments between posters.
LTR - Long time reader
FTP - First time poster
BG - Board guide
BOGOF - Buy one get one free
Dilligas - Do I look like I give a sh**

Frogletina

I spent a few weeks just taking out £5 in my purse each day for housekeeping and £3 for personal spending.

It certainly concentrates the mind because you have to make choices - there were many times when I really struggled to decide between a couple of things I wanted but in the end I began to realise what was a necessity and what was really just a want.

With my £3 I might have wanted to buy a drink at the local deli, a newspaper and possibly a couple of treats for later (chocolate/crisps) But I'd now have to buy a small drink, and choose between the chocolate and crisps. I always like to buy a newspaper - but sometimes I'd find a coffee shop that had newspapers to read there. I've even called in at the local library to read a newspaper.

If I didn't spend all of the £8, then I'd not take the excess out the next day, but start again with £3 and £5 - and I wouldn't allow myself to cross subsidy between my personal spending and housekeeping (an old habit from when I didn't live on my own, and was careful that the housekeeping wasn't spend on things just for me)

Before computers I had books in which I recorded income and expenditure in various categories, and also savings - both joint and personal.

Now I have excel spreadsheets which I enjoy more than I enjoy spending.

I find it's better to spend cash than using debit cards. I now transfer by standing order a weekly amount of money to one of my cards every Monday for housekeeping, and a monthly sum for sundry items. I withdraw this when necessary, and it gets topped up with any cash back money I've earned.

I can now afford to allocate more money to my personal spending but I find that a lot of this doesn't get spent and so I still have a personal savings account which is growing all the time.

And to see savings grow is so much more fun to me than spending.

gettingtheresometime

I wanted a necklace that would have cost £20 and beforehand I would have just gone out and bought it.

However I decided that I would only buy it once I'd paid off a particular debt. However by that time, it had gone out of stock.

It then came back in and then I decided that I would save my £2 coins until I'd saved enough for it.....by which time I decided that I'd had enough of spending the majority of my salary on servicing my debts so the £20 was spent on clearing the debt.

I still want the necklace but I want to be clear of these debts more