Put away your purse & become debt-averse

Blackcats

Interesting how mind sets and priorities change. I think you are much further ahead than me and I can easily still de-rail myself with shiny things or illogical thinking. I need to get a couple of minor bits done on my car plus 2 new tyres. I actually caught myself contemplating buying a new car instead! Seriously- what the heck was that about????
End of budgeting period for me tomorrow. I've done the figures today so no spending tomorrow. I live on the route of the Prudential cycle race so all roads closed round here on Sunday. Drastic but good way to avoid spending! Not a kerplunk collapse of best laid budget plans this month but room for improvement. I'd give myself a C Grade mark. Lyrics of "There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza" just about sums it up. Little leakages in nearly all categories. "So fix it dear Liza" is the mantra for this month. Thanks for your continuing inspiration.
Looking forward to the debtisode you promised.

foxgloves

Yes, maybe I am, Blackcats. I am not often tempted by shiny things these days. I think my aversion to debt has become so huge, that even when I find myself veering towards buying the inessential 'whatever it is', I simply decide I'd rather keep the money instead......not even because I particularly want to save it, but because while I still have the money, I have options. Once I've bought a thingy, I haven't. But I'm not perfect with our grocery budget. I think the fact that we haven't increased it for a long time coupled with rising food prices, means that we creep over our target a lot more than I'd like, & sometimes it's more than just 'creep'. I'm going to have a major look at all aspects of our budget in the months to come.
F x

foxgloves

Morning diary readers,
Well, this is probably going to turn into a bit of a Debtisode. I've been thinking a lot about why my terrible bad habits with all things financial lasted as long as they did. You see, there's a real dichotomy here. Since my late teens (my debts started at age 19), I've been very much 'of the Left', politically, very concerned about the state of the planet & generally angry about the exploitation of ordinary people by big companies. I've been interested in growing things since childhood, in green spirituality, in herbal medicine (I remember borrowing a big Vogue book of natural beauty from the local library when I was about 14 & boiling up all sorts of concoctions!) and I've always enjoyed foraging, cooking from scratch, making things, etc. This isn't the type of character profile I'd connect to overspending & debt. But the truth is that whatever 'stuff' one is into, there are loads of things to buy. And buy them I did. Oh yes!
Heaps of books on all of the above subjects/interests for starters. An early purchase was a yoghurt maker....one filled with tiny little glass jars & lids, which absolutely stank however many times they were washed. It didn't make very nice yoghurt & went to the charity shop. I vowed not to waste my time making yoghurt again, which lasted as long as it took me to see a display of a different type of yoghurt making gizmo. I bought that, & it did make better yoghurt, until I melted a fairly essential part of it by leaving the gas ring on!
My 'green' ethics meant that I would choose environmentally friendly cleaning products & we all know these can be a lot more expensive. I found a local shop which sold this sort of stuff in 5 litre containers which came with a label which you stuck on the empty flagon & posted it back for a refill. I did this on a number of products, but the truth of it was that I couldn't afford them, or the expensive wooden washing-up brushes with replacement natural bristle heads, or all the bloody silly beansprout growing paraphernalia I kept buying, or organic shampoos, conditioners, bath bubbles, etc.
Then, as I love make-up & wear it every day (I don't even peg out my laundry without mascara on!), I really enjoyed exploring the 'greener' ranges now & again......it didn't save any money on the expensive 'women in white coats' cosmetic counter varieties that I also liked.
When a fascinating green co-operative opened in the city suburb where I was living, it was like an Aladdin's cave. I decided to swap all my grocery shopping there & then.......& clearly remember that I ended up spending over £70 for a trolley of shopping which lasted me about barely 3 days! It was a lovely shop & I spent such a lot of money there because it was the sort of shop which reinforced my ethics, my politics, who I was, if you see what I mean.
My politics, ethics, cycnicism about big corporate business, my concern for the environment is all still there, unchanged......if anything, I get more left-wing as I get older (I think it's more often the other direction) but the difference is that post-LBM, I realise that I don't need to buy things to 'be green'. I'd go as far as to say that nobody with significant debts can afford this indulgence. If more expensive green products are affordable for people's budgets, then of course that's fine, & I would still prefer to buy them if it was currently an option.
But what I've learned is that my current lifestyle, where I live within my means, make sure I save towards emergencies & live simply is MUCH greener & more ethical than the old me who was throwing money around like some kind of mad cash sprinkler-system. We made the financial decision after my redudancy to share one car, instead of having one each, I make do & mend, grow food, cycle, we've discovered how much we love camping & watching wildlife, walking, etc. I've learned that being 'green' is only partly about what I buy. Mostly it's about what I DON'T buy. As a household, we consume so much less than we used to. We don't have a strict 'hair shirt' lifestyle by any means, but our main drive is no longer what we're going to buy next or (in my case) filling my basket with nice little (& not so little!) impulse buys, the cost of which add up hugely, not forgetting the 'tat miles', lack of bio-degradability & pollution from their manufacture.
Where cleaning products are concerned, such as washing-up liquid....I can't currently justify paying the price differential on 'green' ranges, so I buy a normal non-branded one, but instead of squirting it into the bowl as though I'm putting out a fire, I use a pea-sized blob on a washing-up sponge & a few squeezes provides enough lather to clean a whole bowlful. One bottle now lasts 4 - 5 weeks, rather than putting one in the trolley every time. Most cleaning stuff I've simply stopped buying....one general product diluted in a recycled spray bottle works fine for most jobs & means a lot less plastic & chemicals.
So I guess that compared with my behaviour in the Spendy Years, I've actually become the much greener person I always wanted to be, but have done it through curtailing my frivolous behaviour with money. Small but very consistent lifestyle changes, rather than trying to buy 'the right' products & kit when I coudn't afford it.
I think I may soon be brave enough to commit to a Debtisode about my past shaky relationship with fitness equipment............I'll see.
Cheers all,
F xx

wishingthemortgaheaway

Great post Foxgloves - there is a former poster in these parts that, I believe, would have learned a lot from this debtisode, sadly she no longer posts, but I love the fact that 'reducing' which is actually the first part of the 3 r's of environmental stuff (reduce, reuse, recycle) is what can make us greener than some of these so called 'green switches'

foxgloves

Thanks, Wish. And for reminding me about the 'Three Rs' slogan, which I'd forgotten about. Yes, reducing what we buy is a really key part of a planet-friendly lifestyle. I think it can also be applied to food packaging choices. I didn't buy peaches in the supermarket this week because they were in a non-recyclable plastic tray, then wrapped in plastic film. I bought some from our local market instead, in a brown paper bag. This will be used to wrap a lunchtime sandwich & will then be composted. I think I will print out the 3 'Rs' to pin on my kitchen noticeboard.
X
P. S I think I may know the diary to which you refer. A very interesting one from a good writer. I used to dip into it now & again, but not comment.

Dottles1

I couldn't agree more with you Foxgloves. Being green is about your attitude to life and the planet. For me it used to be clothes, I had a wardrobe full of things I was going to diet into and a small amount of things that I wore regularly. I now wear my clothes until they wear out, buy from charity shops and welcome gifts from friends. This means that on the rare occasions I do buy something new I don't feel guilty about it. Anything I don't wear/never going to fit is either sold, given to a friend or gifted to a charity shop. You'd be surprised how often I am complimented on a top or other item.

Kantankrus_Mare

wishingthemortgaheaway wrote: »

Great post Foxgloves - there is a former poster in these parts that, I believe, would have learned a lot from this debtisode, sadly she no longer posts, but I love the fact that 'reducing' which is actually the first part of the 3 r's of environmental stuff (reduce, reuse, recycle) is what can make us greener than some of these so called 'green switches'

I think I also know the poster you are speaking of. I used to love reading the thread until i was apprehended by saying that it might help if she shared her debt problems with her family. Other people were apprehended for commenting on her "keep up with the jones's attitude and her unwillingness to actually cut back on any luxuries to get herself out of the huge debt she was in.

This was a very educated and eloquent woman and she had a brilliant writing style. Just a shame she couldnt handle people (who were only trying to help) giving a different point of view.

Blackcats

"Mad cash sprinkler system" - what a fab description! I had a purse that worked in the cash sprinkler style.
I think a simpler life is such a lovely thing. I had an amazing day last week for the cost of the petrol and a portion of chips by the sea - I even took my own flask of tea and re-usable water bottle. I made some lovely memories and came home with a real glow of contentment.
I also think I recognise the diary that we've been talking about. It was very well written but every spend was justified even when questioned (constructively) by other posters. There were some interesting lifestyle choices in the diary and a bit of an entitled to approach.
I myself have also justified spending by "I work hard so I deserve this" - I know realise that by buying whatever it is I bought means I have to continue to work hard to pay for the purchase I thought I deserved - rinse and repeat.

wishingthemortgaheaway

Eeek, Sorry Foxgloves, I didn't mean to start a discussion about another poster.

Your post has really made me think though. Reduce is to be my mantra.

Thanks

Wish.

foxgloves

I'd have to admit to having been one of the world's worst offenders where justification of spending is concerned.
Bad day at work - deserve a treat.
Great day at work - deserve a treat
Bog standard ordinary day at work - deserve a treat
Feeling poorly - Yep, defo need one.
Feeling hale & hearty - Yay! Buy one.
On holiday - Doesn't count. Buy several.
With my friends - join in the fun.....spend!
On my own - Awwww, on my lonesome......but wait, what's this shiny thing I see?
With that Spendy Mindset, it's a default setting. Blackcats, I had to smile about the temptation to buy a new car. Years ago, I knew somebody who did just that.......the car needed an MOT & a new back tyre, so its owner exchanged it for a new one, rather than 'waste money'. I've heard that this individual has seriously come to grief with money since then, so clearly this was an attitude which continued.
I've been thinking about what triggers the 'All things money LBM'......will get my thoughts together while I crank up the coffee machine, then I'll pop back & attempt to explain what I mean.
F x