Spending too much at work!

CharlieBB

Hi everyone,

As the titles suggests, I seem to have a real problem with spending while I am at work. I either buy coffee, breakfast, lunch or snacks, and looking back at my transactions I can end up spending a fortune on this each month.

I would prefer to not take my wallet to work, forcing me to use my prepaid ASDA discount card to buy a packed lunch for the week, but what stops me is my job.

I work as a sales executive for a car dealership, and as a company car I drive one of the demonstrators. Company policy is to always have fuel in the car. Company policy is to also sell these cars when we can, so every so often they get sold just after you have put petrol in. This is non refundable, and extremely annoying. So I kind of need my card with my all the time as I only put the minimum required amount in each time I fill with petrol.

Is there such a thing as a card that can only be used for buying fuel? Or does anyone have any ideas on how I can avoid spending money on delicious bacon rolls every other morning...

I understand that will power plays a huge part in overcoming this, but I'd rather just remove the option all together

Thanks in advance for any help

sourcrates

Hi,

You work as a sales exec and you don’t have a fuel card ?

Surely your company must be aware of fuel cards such as All star, key fuels, shell, Bp, and the like ........?

CharlieBB

Oh yes, the company has fuel cards, But we aren't allowed to use them for personal fuel.

Sea_Shell

It would be a bit of a faff....but if you have no will power, go to a cashpoint, not at the garage, withdraw £10 on a debit card (or whatever the minimum fuel limit is) and then fill up to that amount and pay cash.

But then you and only you can stop yourself withdrawing £15 and spending the other £5 on snacks, as once you are at the till, there's no other option.

warby68

Seems a sledgehammer to crack a nut tbh.

Surely the car sales like that are pretty infrequent and you are spending far more on snacks by not resisting temptation when you fill up so often than the tenner of lost fuel if and when a car is sold.

Or try Pay At Pump so you don't go in the shop!

HampshireH

Why don't you take pack lunch and snacks to work. Keep them in the card I'd this is where you eat.

Get a cash card and put your weekly fuel amount on it only. That way this becomes your fuel card & snacks are readily available in the car.

My partner was buying a Costa at the garage every day. £2.50 a day. He bought a tub of flavoured coffee from Sainsbury's and a thermal flask (they do smart ones now unlike in the old days) and he makes his coffee every day for the journey. It stays hot all day. He has saved a small fortune.

gardner1

Have breakfast before you go to work.take packed lunch and use kettle at work for coffee.........very simple solution....surprised you haven't thought about it yourself

CharlieBB

I guess what I'm asking is, is there such a thing as personal fuel cards? One I can use it to buy petrol with and nothing else?


It's not the act of spending at the petrol station I can't avoid. It's throughout the day. I'd like to remove temptation all together, it seems to be the only way that truly works for me.


I'm generally pretty good when it comes to having breakfast before I go out, and preparing lunches for the week using my ASDA discount card. I even have my own coffee machine that I use for the morning drive which saves me a fortune


But every so often temptation creeps in, and it happens too often for my linking.

Jo3y83

I think you need to dig deep for some willpower rather than try to find a card just for fuel. It won't stop you - you'll just find other ways and means of spending money on food throughout the day.

Fireflyaway

How about you leave your wallet at home and just take a small amount of cash? You are probably likely to be move protective of £10 note than handing over plastic.
Take some snacks with you. You can get a whole multipack from the supermarket for £1.
I used to buy a muffin and coffee every morning but now the thought of wasting £5 every day annoys me! Your habits will change over time.

ReadingTim

Pay at pump.

But mainly willpower.