Struggling to stay on the financial straight and narrow

trixiepix

Hi all,


I rumble around, disappear for a spell then bob back in when I need advice and you all are always are so supportive and helpful.


So, the back story is,
I'm very grateful to have cleared my thousands of pounds worth of debt (Phewwww!!!) and for a spell, wonderfully rested and sound sleep filled nights became the norm but it didn't last.......


I am lucky to have a little in savings but I realise more is being taken out and less being put in as I still haven't changed the way I look at spending, if I want something the spending demons in my head always seem to justify my reasoning to spend - Any one else with the same issue?

beanielou

It is a diffucult one.
Keep plodding

JoJoC

I wish I had the answer to thst but I think many of us are in that situation!

I suppose setting short term goals might help and adopting some processes when it comes to purchases like delaying all purchases by 24 hours (within reason) so see if the novelty or need wears off.

Good luck!

trixiepix

JoJo & Beanie - Thank you for taking the time to pass through - very much appreciated ☺


Without delving too deeply into the phycology side of things, I truly do believe some of us just have a compulsive nature, weather it's been conditioned, learnt or just part of our natural character make up who knows but I'm mindful I definitely fall into this category.
I think I need to relearn behaviours I've relied upon for many, many years & have been great in the short term but held me back in the long term.
I'm now in my forties and want to try to deal with it once and for all, start putting serious savings away and hopefully in the longer term invest in property rather than having to continue to rent forever and ever.
So, one thing I know I need to change immediately is eating out, usually fast food options so as a stand alone not massively expensive but when happening many times a week this is impacting on money that should be saved - I've become lazy with food plans etc. as a result of upping working hours and cooking has become an inconvenience, I'm taking one day at a time as each habit needs to be broken but so far this week (yes I know it's only Wednesday!!) we've eaten at home - if I can make through the whole week that would be a real achievement as pathetic as it sounds.


Spends so far today - Salad at lunchtime £4.50 (ran out of time this morning to make lunch, not great planning there then, not to self, when you can sleep soundly at night you will be brighter in the morning !!)


Still £4.50 of unnecessary spends but better than what a 'normal' day would be!


Trix xx

trixiepix

What a beautifully sunny day today, it certainly puts a spring in my step and the outlook is positive, positive, positive.
I love the summer months, long balmy days are such a tonic.


So, today's spends so far - £40 cash taken out as needed to send DD2 off to a school trip with spending money & was meeting a friend for lunch (planned weeks ago) and it was my turn to pay!


£5 on bits and bobs in supermarket (packed lunch stuff for DD2 & fruit for work)
£10 on friends lunch
£10 for DD's trip
£5 charity cake sale & lottery
leaving me around £12 - how fast did that go!!!
Have to buy a birthday card and small gift for a friends birthday so I think I'm pretty much going to have £0 left by this evening!!


At least my next weeks 'through the week' allowance starts tomorrow, I just need to try to save some!!

dionysia

Exactly the same! Let me know if you solve it . What's working for me at the moment, although very early days, is simply not having access to money to spend - credit card closed (not just limit reduced and put away, because something in my head still seems to categorise that as 'available dosh'), overdraft cancelled, savings in an stocks and shares ISA where withdrawal takes a couple of weeks. We'll see!

trixiepix

Dionysia, thank you for strolling through ☺


Sounds as though you've made great changes to tame the spending beast!!
I too chopped up all of my credit cards when the last one was paid, I had intended to keep just one for emergencies but I knew at some point it would be calling my name!! so I chopped that one as well - so I have no credit to access (other than my nxt catalogue and I am determined to get that paid off without ordering anything else) but it's my savings that have taken a hit and is now down to £500 - I hadn't thought about moving the savings to a different account - I shall look into that tomorrow, I think I'll need to go to a different bank as it's all to easy to move money from account to account with online banking where as it'll be trickier to access from elsewhere!! - what a state to get in where I just can't be trusted and I really should no better at my age!!
Was watching a programme earlier about paying your mortgage off early (not that I have a mortgage, still renting) there was one case where the person had to go back to basics to overpay on the mortgage and every £5 spare they had they banked and every literal penny was counted and subsequently had cleared £56,000 in 4 years!!! - made me realise that every penny does count and I'm going to be doing that with my savings, every penny saved will be banked (in a different account so I can't get my mittens on it lol!!)
Back to the straight and narrow......for today!!!

trixiepix

So I seemed to blink on Friday evening and found myself with the alarm clock going off this morning ready for another fun filled (and hopefully frugal) week!!


At least Monday is done, & today I've checked my account and find myself £120 over what I was hoping to have spent with still over 2 weeks to payday, so rather than think I need to shift some money to cover the overspend I'm pondering on ways to add back in - I'm due a refund on a returns item which will be £20 so already back down to £100 over, I've listed a couple of items on Ebaaay, very low prices so if they don't sell will only be adding in a few pounds but it all adds up!!


Busy morning meant I ran out of lunch making time so ended up buying a sandwich, was determined to only spend the loose change I had in my purse - £2 later was the owner of a sarnie & had realised I need to organise myself a tad better.
So this evening I have made myself 'packed' breakfast and lunch for work tomorrow (note to self, don't leave it in the fridge at home!!!!)
Didn't get chance to investigate new savings account today so will defer to tomorrow as a tad sleepy now!!


Onwards and upwards!!

trixiepix

Well the rain is such a welcome relief from having to water the garden - finding a positive even in the rain clouds!!


So spending for the day - had birthday money from earlier in the year so ordered a couple of things from Amazoon, in light of todays offers - so an acceptable spend as I didn't want my birthday money being eaten up on nothing, as I know the gift givers wanted me to have something to show for it.


Remembered to take my packed lunch with me which was a result, lovely lunch and cost nothing.
Take away/fast food abstinence is going well, making time to cook and we're all benefitting from eating better.
veg chilli & rice made into a burrito type of wraps - lots of veggies and free food (SW) except for the wraps, enough leftovers for my dinner tomorrow eve.


Meeting DD1 for lunch tomorrow at Subway as have enough points to pay for subs so free lunch, may just have to pay for drinks, promised we'd do this weeks ago so feels the right thing to do.
Hope you've all had a frugal day xxx

trixiepix

So it's Wednesday, just two days away from next weeks 'through the week' allowance.
I'm still ahead of what I would have liked to have spent from my monthly allowance by this point in the month, so actively trying to add more in rather than take more out & absolutely determined not to touch a penny of my savings.


So money in today - Ebay has been a positive, managed to sell £47.50's worth of stuff today - still have to pay for postage, so realistically looking at a £40 profit which has been added back in to the account.
Few more things listed, so hopefully a few more pounds will be flying their way into the account, fingers crossed.


Had drinks spends for Subway today but had cash to use rather than just whizz out the debit card (so doesn't feel like real money & easy to lose track of)
No plans for the rest of the week so hopefully NSD's tomorrow and Friday.
Dinner was left over chilli & rice from yesterday, so still not been in sniffing distance of a Mackie D's & I'm feeling very empowered about it!! - I guess it's all about control in all aspects!!


Trix xx

trixiepix

Nearly Friday yay!! it's felt like a long week!!


So tonight was unexpectedly taken out for dinner along with DD's by my lovely mum - such a lovely kind treat ♥♥♥


So, spends today amounts to £2 (cash) for some flowers for a friend who needed a little pick me up.
Lunch provided at a training session at work (fortunately as left lunch at home in fridge!!)
Feel as though I've kept on the straight and narrow this week, checking in to 'confess my sins' each night is helping me see how it's as easy not to spend as it is to spend - long may it last but sadly my track record isn't great but maybe this may be the last time!! Hah!!


Should be a NSD tomorrow and will have to be extra careful keeping on track over the weekend!!