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Put away your purse & become debt-averse
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Actually, I think I am going to have to revise that 'Hundreds of pounds' in the diary entry I've just posted to 'Thousands' as I did such regular unplanned top-up shops & was spendy for many more years than I have been a reformed character. Actually, May this year will mark 10 whole years since we paid off the final chunk of our c.35K debt. I was in my mid-40s then, & had been in debt since I was 19.
F x"For each of our actions there are only consequences" (James Lovelock)"For in the true nature of things......every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold & silver" (Martin Luther King Jnr)10 -
I love butternut squash and roasting it brings out the flavour. I’ve saved loads on food since I’ve been working from home. It was far too easy just to nip in a supermarket for a few bits and end up spending more than planned. Sainsbury’s was the worst for me as it was handy to nip to in my lunch break. They had a fantastic range of clothes which was lethal for me. Pop in for a loaf of bread, come out with two tops as well 🤣I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping)11
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I’m the same I have to walk through LIDL car park to get home and I always popped in just to have a luck to see what was on offer 10 pounds later9
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Yes, I think that supermarkets sell such a huge range of stuff now, Sun_Addict, that top-up shops can potentially include clothes, books, CDs & DVDs, tech, etc, as well as the random homeware i.e scented candles, cushions, throws, which I used to find extremely tempting. And we know that supermarkets usually put the basics on the furthest side of the store to lure us into spendy temptation on our way to pick up the one loaf of bread we went in for. We have to be more canny than they are!
F"For each of our actions there are only consequences" (James Lovelock)"For in the true nature of things......every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold & silver" (Martin Luther King Jnr)12 -
IzzyBee - That is exactly the problem. And we become so good at convincing ourselves we've got such a brilliant bag of bargains, don't we? I know I did! I've shared many of my past bad financial habits in my DFW diary & one of them was my consistent assertion that I didn't earn enough to put money into savings, yet if I'd just paid into savings the money from one top-up shop a week, I reckon I'd have probably saved around £1,000 a year just from that! I absolutely earned enough to save a regular amount. I just chose to fritter it on stuff instead. Ah well, light did dawn eventually & am a reformed character now, & much happier for it.
F"For each of our actions there are only consequences" (James Lovelock)"For in the true nature of things......every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold & silver" (Martin Luther King Jnr)12 -
A girl I have been friends with since the kids were little is always complaining she has no money and can’t save and is convinced she buys the cheapest of everything and doesn’t spend much I have tried over the years to help her because she asks me to she rang me today to say she had been cleaning her cupboard out under the stairs and she couldn’t believe she found 53 bottles of fabric conditioner amongst other things when I said she could have had 50 pounds saved and still had fabric conditioner she said yes but I bought it all on offer she’s a lost cause13
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I was probably right behind you in the supermarket queue with my top up shop. I used to spend so much in between my "big" shop too. Something nice for dinner - probably a so called "posh" ready meal, a pudding from the ultra expensive chilled selection, definitely some chocolate, even if it was just for the journey home and quite frequently a bottle of wine. If there were candles or other household items like nice mugs or glasses I'd buy those too. And of course I could still congratulate myself for only spending £100+ on my weekly shop.How much of our money have those supermarkets had over the spendy years? As you know I'm still a work in progress and tempted by all things sparkly but I'm better than I was.Glad your plasterer came , you've done well to get the work done on your house during the pandemic.11
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Alas I'm still falling prey to the top up shop and I do exactly the same,I go in for something for my tea and come out with a couple of magazines and a bar of chocolate as well. I've used the excuse over the last few months that it's because I've been ill so haven't known what I want not eat and that has contributed to it but it's also down to lack of planning and disorganisation. I went shopping two days ago but forgot washing up liquid so I'm now going to have to nip into Mr S on my way home from work tomorrow, let's see if I can come home with just the washing up liquid this time. I think I need some sort of check list for regular items ,last time it was fabric conditioner. Maybe I should buy two of everything and then replace when I'm down to one bottle of whatever it is 🤷♀️Original Debt Owed Jan 18 = £17,630 Paid To Date = £6,080.1 Owed = £11,549.913
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Actually, OBL, I mostly do that now. It definitely helps prevent top-up shops if you aim to have one of each very regularly used product in stock at all times. We never know when we might not be able to get to the shops or access a delivery slot, so I've decided it's good emergency planning. Also, if it prevents popping out for the Evil Top-Up Shop, then it also prevents temptation.
Back later, have had to lend Mr F my desk today. One of his team has had a positive Covid test so the close proximity people are self-isolating & the others (inc Mr F) have been told to work at home until next week.
F x"For each of our actions there are only consequences" (James Lovelock)"For in the true nature of things......every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold & silver" (Martin Luther King Jnr)11 -
Blackcats - Yes, I made many supermarket visits of exactly the type you describe. Despite living in different parts of the country, I bet there were times when you were standing in one supermarket queue with your naughty top-up basket, while I was further to the north of the country also in a queue with mine! And I think it sounds as though those baskets (& sometimes mine was a small trolley) would have been very similar indeed, lol! I should add that if it was the 2nd half of the month, I would be very much hoping that my card wouldn't be refused when I got to the till. Urrrrgh.......shudders......I just couldn't go back to that again! I rarely bothered with extending my overdraft limit officially, you see, so I lived in constant dread of being embarrassed at the tills......for which I blamed the bank!!
Izzybee - I have a friend who does a similar thing with a particular brand of mouthwash, teabags & cola! In fact, there was so much old cola in their garage once, years ago, that it went weird & burst its lids. They didn't notice for a while as they park on the street, so there was a big sticky mess to clear up. I do keep a generously stocked pantry, freezer & utility cupboard, but even though I am a planner, I do keep it to 'well stocked' rather than hoarding. Hoards of stuff everywhere would just annoy me!
F x"For each of our actions there are only consequences" (James Lovelock)"For in the true nature of things......every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold & silver" (Martin Luther King Jnr)11
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