motivation to budget

joeyjac

miss_phish wrote: »

Another point purely on the motivational front - if we are trying to get away from something (ie get away from a scary debt) then our motivation naturally declines when we are a safe distance away from it (ie when we're not getting regular red bills through the door) and we tend to lose interest in it and it becomes easy to go back to our old ways.

However if we aim towards something (like a goal of having a savings account with £100 in) our motivation is strong until that goal is reached, where we then set another goal.

Hope that helps!

That is a great way of looking at it, I was losing some motivation now my biggest debts are paid and could feel myself starting to slip.

I'm going to set myself a savings target to keep up the good work.

Thanks

The_ODonnell_Boy

May sound ridiculous, but the best thing I ever did was get a little USB stick to carry around with me

On it, I keep a list of my expenditure for that month and delete as applicable once the outgoing has been paid

It's been a massive boon to me and helps me keep track of everything

moanymoany

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

I'm motivated by knowing that the less I spend, the longer I've got to finish my PhD without having to get a full time job

And when I've done that and I'm working full time, I'll be motivated by knowing how good it feels to have enough to pay for things in advance!

To keep track I have a small cash book that I take everywhere, and have a page (or two) for each separate budget (food, van, presents, unnecessary, allotment, clothes, etc) with the amount at the top. EVERY time I buy something, I write in what it was, the date, the amount (rounded UP for everything other than unnecessary spends), and take that amount off the total.

I also keep a running total of how much overall I have for the month (not including bills etc, keep track of that separately), and write down how much I've spent each day on everything, so I can see overall how much I've got left, and whether I can occasionally afford to overspend a little on one budget, and take it out of another.

Hope that makes sense!

There is no doubt that keeping track of every penny is a vital part of budgeting. The spending diary is the easiest way to keep track.

It can seem that one coffee won't matter - but it will. The cost of one takeaway pizza will feed you for two or three days.

Go onto the moneysaving oldstyle threads, fight your way through the female stuff and you will find threads of meals and menus that cost very little and are healthy. There are ideas for packed lunches and hundreds of ways to save money.

I would recommend you buy a copy of the 'Tightwad Gazette' series if you want to save in large amounts. It is available second hand from Amazon.

moneykaizen

I think like this:

How many hours would I need to be chained to my desk to purchase this?

E.G Is a Playstation 3 really worth going to work each day for a week?

Angel_21

Hi berserker, I have no suggestions myself, as I have only joined recently, but will watch this space for any tips. In fact I'm SO new you are the first person I have 'talked' to, so it will be interesting to see what happens ...!!

moanymoany

moneykaizen wrote: »

I think like this:

How many hours would I need to be chained to my desk to purchase this
E.G Is a Playstation 3 really worth going to work each day for a week?

Absolutely, and more often than not the answer is NO!

It is the ease by which things can bought - no thought attached - simply hand over the little piece of plastic.

It is only when you look more closely and work out the hourly rate that the item becomes less desirable!!!

cat4772

miss_phish wrote: »

If we are trying to get away from something ... then our motivation naturally declines when we are a safe distance away from it ... However if we aim towards something ... our motivation is strong until that goal is reached where we then set another goal.

That's a wonderful way of understanding how motivation works and the role perception plays! though I must remember to always set antoher goal rather than spend too much time applauding myself for achieving a goal!!!!!

Cat.x