How did you 'mentally' start saving?

System

I have a spreadsheet I created that has all my bank accounts on it and shows my financial status (projected and actual), as well as been an excellent way to track your finances, it also offers a great way to project how much money you can have at any point in the future.
The other advantage is I must enter everything I spend, i.e. cash withdrawals, any expenditure on cards, all bills etc.
If your spending money frivolously sometimes the act of having to type in the amount you spent and what you spent it on makes you stand back and think and can act as a deterrent.

Paul

droopsnoot

Eco_Miser wrote: »

When I was young, anything I wanted had to be saved for first, and by the time I'd saved enough I usually realised I didn't really want it anyway.
Now, I could afford to buy most things straight off, but I still have the habit of thinking again, and considering whether I will actually use it, and then not buy it if I won't.

That's a very good point, and a similar situation to my own. I've bought things before and never used them, and the memory of those things help to make me think properly about whether I'll make any use of something before buying it.

chockydavid1983

I started off saving sanely and gradually got more and more mental :-)

teddysmum

I was taught to save as a child, then used all my savings to set up home when we married.


Since then, any money not needed (treats ok but no frivolous waste) has been saved and has helped at difficult times.


I'm now a pensioner and my husband will retire soon , so we won't be able to put so much away, but a small amount will still be saved, as I can't bear to see money wasted.