Must try harder!

elbree

I got kindle unlimited as a present for 6 months as they have an offer on. Agreed it's difficult to resist when one in a series is free but the rest cost. Hoping to start going back to the library soon. 

WinterWarrior

Thanks @elbree and @Flora90. The library is a good idea and I didn’t know it was available digitally. We used to go to the library with my parents religiously every Saturday, it was a highlight of the week. We’d all go in together and then branch off to our respective sections. That’s where I discovered a lifelong love of Georgette Heyer before branching out into fantasy 🙂. Once I was working I got fixated on owning things and even with the kindle I want them ‘there’ as a comfort blanket to go back to...but I guess the point is that you can read through a lot and just purchase the really excellent ones to keep. Some great ideas, thank you.
I'm reading a very different book I got free from Amazon at the moment called Manners and Monsters, it’s starting off quite good.
I have been writing down everything I read for a few years now as a personal challenge, to see how many I get through. I’m up to 35 so far this year! 

Naomim

I must admit I lost my reading mojo this past year. Commuting was my wind down time but now I'm working from home, I dont seem to find the time. My TBR pile is huge! My Dad was a huge reader and we also went to the library on Saturday mornings.  Such happy days.

Have you looked at the Goodreads app/website?  You can log your books on there and set yourself reading challenges for the year. You can rate and review.  I'm also a member of a book group on FB called Lost In A Good Book which seems to be one of the friendly nice groups! 

With regards to your pots and spare cash (or lack of!). How do you work this? I keep a spreadsheet with my salary at the top, then my DD's that come out before the next payday. Then I pay myself a monthly amount for whatever I want, be it books, a meal out or coffees etc. Then I split the balance into pots for things like petrol, car maintenance, haircuts, vets, 11yo's scouts,  emergency fund and so on.  I never thought I'd be able to save for future purchases but this year my car had major works and I was so happy it was all paid for without needing to borrow the money. 

It's just finding what works for you. 

Keep going 👍

Naomim 

efes_shareholder

I also have the habit of an every day credit card which I clear at the end of the month...........its a habit which really does set me back as before a month starts I'm paying for the previous one , not even sure why I do it as generally I have the money in my account so maybe I just like seeing the balance as high as possible. it does however defeat the object really as I seem to not put as much consideration in to the purchases made on the credit card and generally speaking I am buying things I technically don't need or could live without 

WinterWarrior

That’s amazing @Naomim, you have mastered the pots when surprise bills are covered! I do love a good spreadsheet and do the same with my wage, direct debits, etc. I also have sheets for each loan so I can see it coming down each month and see the impact of any extra payments. Monzo is separate to my main bank, I move money over and then always have to move it back...but no more! Next month will be different! 

I saw someone else say they give themselves spending money and it seems such a sensible idea. I plan to give myself £50 a week and no more and see how that works. Next month will be tight though as my husband is wanting a large item for his birthday (around £300). I am aiming to keep my credit card very low this month so when I clear it on pay day, the amount I would normally use on that will hopefully cover the present. A bit of juggling and doing without now will make next month brighter and I should still be able to start off my pots. I shall come on here crying if I spend any pot money and you can all tell me off 😁
One of my large expenses is pet food...I have a lot of fussy pets, but I do go for deals on Zooplus and amazon as much as possible. They can take up to £300 a month, but I’ve been keeping it below £250 recently. 

I’m glad you also have lovely library memories, happy days indeed. I do get the goodreads emails, but haven’t used the website. I’m a sucker for a pretty notebook so write my list down. 

Naomim

Monzo is my 2nd account too so I send a standing order over every month. I give myself £120 a month for my stuff. I wish  MrM would have one but alas he won't. 

Because I have high credit card debts I have removed them from my wallet, that way no temptation lies! 🤣

WinterWarrior

Credit cards are the devils work! I have cleared mine off with loans...twice! This last time has managed to stick, by clearing off the card each pay day. the last loan I took for this was £3500 and is now down to just under £1300, so I feel I’m winning...but I am entirely conscious that one emergency could be the difference between me clearing the card each month or not. This is one of the reasons I need to get my house in order. 

I daren’t even think about MrWW, but I will try to help him pay down his cards once I have sorted myself out. It doesn’t bother him at all and I don’t think I can bang the debt free drum very much while I have no room to talk.
I’m thinking £50 a week for my stuff to begin, so I don’t feel too restricted and anything I don’t spend of that can be put into a pot...a pot I.will.not.take.it.back.from. 😬

WinterWarrior

efes_shareholder said:

I also have the habit of an every day credit card which I clear at the end of the month...........its a habit which really does set me back as before a month starts I'm paying for the previous one , not even sure why I do it as generally I have the money in my account so maybe I just like seeing the balance as high as possible. it does however defeat the object really as I seem to not put as much consideration in to the purchases made on the credit card and generally speaking I am buying things I technically don't need or could live without 

Hi @efes_shareholder, thanks for stopping by. I agree with being on the back foot at the end of the month by clearing the card, it’s just hard to get out of. Hopefully at the end of this journey I will have enough to get through the month without this. I agree that there’s less consideration on my part when I can just throw some chocolate or books on my card straight from Amazon, instead of thinking ‘can I actually afford this’. Probably 80% of the things I buy I could live without and don’t need, you make a good point. I will try to ask myself these important questions before clicking buy in future. 

Naomim

As Martin says 

Do I need it?
Do I want it?
Can I afford it?

If you give yourself spending money it helps knowing where you are with the one off small purchases.  A spending diary is also helpful so you can see where the trigger areas are.

WinterWarrior

Good old Martin! He’s right of course and so are you.
I have capacity to track one off spending in my spreadsheets, but probably making a new page on the file and counting down from my allocated spend with every single detail will be a good idea. I have a fair idea of my trigger points (reading, eating and material), but it will really help to keep me on track.
my first challenge is of course to survive until payday on next to nothing! I need to be better at entertaining myself as boredom doesn’t help. I live hundreds of miles from family and friends in a remote area. My husband can entertain himself and is a bit of a hermit outside of work, but sometimes I’m crawling the walls!