Using bank card - help?!

LittleMac13

I've set myself £25 a week budget for shopping for me and my little girl - I know it can be done as I've done it before.


I'm terrible in the sense that whenever I need to buy anything I just used my card, I never ever have change on me.


Would it be worth withdrawing £100 on pay day, and just use this to cover me until the next month, or is it just a case of teaching myself not to be so savvy with my bank card?


The way I see it is, at the beginning on the month if I withdraw what I need, I will give my card to my partner or my mum, so I can't even be tempted. Is that just daft?


Was thinking with the money left over I can put in a pot or something?

MrsTinks

Nothing is daft if it works for you...

The jars is a tried and tested method Get 4 (if you work weekly not monthly) and then put £25 in each. Any you have left from week 1 you can either put in jar two or a "spare jar". Roll over can then be saved, used for treats or whatever

If you don't trust yourself with the card then leave it at home

swimminginaseaofdebt

Hi :hello:

I can't be trusted with a card so I take out a certain amount of cash every week. Any leftovers get potted into a jar and counted as part of the sealed pot challenge/payment a day challenge.

Just do what you think will work for you

LittleMac13

Glad I'm not the only one with the card "trust issues" hah! Yeah I think if I do that it will totally limit my spends :-)


And thank you for the four jars tip, I think that's a pretty good idea and will be stealing that one!


Thanks again! God I'm loving this forum, had tons of ideas so far, can't wait to sign myself up for some of the challenges :-)

EssexHebridean

Yep this is an age old trick that works for many, many people! Remember to account for those odd 5 week months though - they can catch you out!

LittleMac13

Aaaah yes, I'll have to mark those months down, thank you!

abby1234519

Cash for me as well! Otherwise the planned £40 turns into £80!

lisa110rry

Back in 1977 when I came to this country, in my first job (technically started in January 1978) my salary was £21 per week. My one responsibility was for the supermarket shopping. My husband was a shift worker which meant that on the evenings that he was working at tea time, I could just have a couple of oat cakes and a little bit of cheese for tea, whereas on other evenings, it would be a full evening meal for us.

I was paid weekly in cash, and would take a calculator around the supermarket with me making a running total of the cost of purchases after work on pay day.:)

edit: I also took a shopping list and bought nothing that wasn't on it!

BettyBones

I do it that way too. These days I very rarely use my debit card for anything. I use it to withdraw £30 every Saturday for my weekly spends and when that £30 is gone, it's gone. When I used to pay for everything by card I would totally forget the odd costa coffee, mcdonalds and lunchtime sandwich spends etc and as it can take a few days for any debits to show up in my online account, I always thought I had more than i really did. So these days I like to pay for everything with cold hard cash if I can. Then I know where I am.

A part of me actually wishes that plastic cards had never been invented. I truly miss the days when I used to pick up my pay from my employer in the form of a little brown envelope stuffed full of cash. You always knew where you stood with cash.. pay the bills (which basically consisted of not a lot more than tramping down to the town hall to pay the rent and rates), stick a few shekels in the gas and leccy meters, buy a few bits from the local grocer, butcher and Bejams, stick a further few shekels in the Post Office for savings (interest rates on savings at the Post Office back in my day were around 11%) and then party hard with whatever was left. A coke was about 35p and a pint was about 70p I think. And you'd still have money leftover to get a taxi home! :rotfl: Cash is king in my book

enthusiasticsaver

I would withdraw weekly rather than monthly. If you go mad and blow it all in the first week then you will be tempted to use the card as three weeks a long time. Alternatively divide the £100 immediately into 4 lots of £25

Pixie5740

I'm the opposite. Cash burns a hole in my pocket so I prefer using cards. Horses for courses. If cash works for you then use cash. There's nothing daft about doing whatever it is that works for you.

I second making a shopping list and sticking to it.