Must try harder!

WinterWarrior

@Sun_Addict I always put it back on again 🤣 The hope is that I continue to battle back down when I get to or near my top weight and hopefully never exceed that. The main thing I do is refuse to size up, so at the moment I have 3 prs jeans I can breathe in….when I’ve battled back down I will have a lot more choice 😬 they are all sz 12s, but you know how badly sizes vary! 

WinterWarrior

Good morning and happy Wednesday 🌸☕️

Not much to report today, still on the dieting wagon (2 whole days) and the NSD wagon (another 10 to hit target). 

Because of silly spending and not sticking to my pocket money I managed to empty my pots and have ooh about a fiver for the rest of the month after dd’s and regular orders 😖 I really do not want to borrow from savings as that will reduce the savings I can add at the end of the month when I have to pay it back…so 2 and a half weeks of no extra spending is in order! If I can do this it may get me into the habit of being better next month too. It’s all very well having a lovely emergency fund, but I absolutely cannot get into the habit of dipping into it and paying back for no good reason 😖
I’m not very good at this am I? I’m struggling to form new habits. So far I haven’t touched savings or any that I added to them last pay day and I need to stick to this if I want them to keep growing. I have a savings target for December and ultimately in a year I would like them to be back up to the amount I was gifted, so I can tell myself it wasn’t wasted on debt. 

Some kind soul booked a 4.30 meeting in today, so it will be a long day by the time that’s finished.
The seagull has stepped up his bullying and is on the windowsill shouting and bonking the glass most days now 🤣
I hope you all have a wonderful day ☕️⭐️

CRANKY40

Good morning. It's probably normal to be a little giddy and to celebrate having your debt paid off. It's what you do next that will make the difference. Will you go down the old path or will you really get into the saving habit? It's also a bit harder for you as a lot of things have to be ordered online because of where you live so bulk orders costing more make sense. 

I'd make two lists -  a "must have" list and an "I'd like" list then put them in order of priority. You'll be able to budget more where your money is going then instead of random spending. Top of my "I'd like" list is a combi boiler and new central heating system. Can't see that happening for a while.....

WinterWarrior

@CRANKY40 I do love a list! I will try that. Most things do have to be ordered for delivery, but somehow that makes it easier than having to go out and physically look for something. 

I would love a combo boiler! I had one 2 houses ago and I still miss it. This house has a dinosaur of an oil heating boiler…it has its own room in the garage (well a cupboard size, but with a full sized door). We need to get someone out to it (again) as it will do heating, but not hot water at the moment (luckily there is an electric back up switch for that). I would also love new gates, but they appear to be a non standard size so won’t be cheap to have made 😖 The small gate fell off completely and I wouldn’t like to shut the drive gates in case they disintegrate 😳

MissRikkiC

Morning @WinterWarrior - Ive read alot about habits over the years and most of them need to be 'anchored' to something you already do to be sustainable even short term.  Alternatively/in addition to, creating a 'barrier' which in turn would prevent you accessing your 'problem' so easily is another solution.

Have you thought about setting your self some loose rules 'anchored' to what you already do that tie into the things you need to do (as mentioned by you) and by having achieved them you get something; which could even be budgeted for?

An example for me to anchor my habit of drinking water is that when i drink (Alcohol) for every drink i want, i have to drink a pint of water when i go and fetch it. I'm already in the kitchen and so its easily achieved meaning it happens

I do this as i have a habit of finished a bottle of red and waking up with a dehydration headache from the lack of water. 

In your case, if spending your pocket money too quickly has become the problem, set yourself a rule that to spend your allocated amount can only be done if said thing is completed. This could be something money saving such as eating from the cupboards/freezer entirely for that day if you want to buy something. Only purchase an item if you've successfully completed your target.

If not money saving, then an extra 1000 steps for 2 consecutive days before youre able to buy something. 

A 'barrier' would be, something which makes the issue less accessible so in this case, every time you go into 'insert shopping app here' you could log out of it once youre done and not save your login details.

This means every time you go in you have to relogin (which is a PITA) and might discourage you a little. 

Lastly and probably most importantly, identify why you're wanting to continue spending when you know that you've set your self rules already. What happens directly before it that causes this to happen. What do you feel every time you want to go and find something to buy... identifying them and acknowledging them might help prevent it happening as often.

Hopefully thats not too personal/preachy - just my take on things having read alot and coached people before

WinterWarrior

@MissRikkiC I love all the feedback on my diary, nothing is too personal or preachy for me 😁
I like the idea of rules and barriers. I have a mental barrier around one of my savings accounts (which has to stay at a certain level), but in my mind Monzo seems to be a free for all and I can’t train myself to leave the pots alone…I think I will lock them all so I have to close them to take anything out. I’m really bad with my current account too, anything in it feels like it’s burning a hole in my virtual pocket ☹️

I think spending is partly boredom and partly I have no idea. 

WinterWarrior

@amanda_p I am in awe of your healthy exercise and diet regime 😦 

Naomim

DrCarrie said:

How can you wait for coffee? I have 2 cups within the first 30 mins of the day!

I'm the same with tea 🙂

WinterWarrior

No spends today, but some nice earlier spends arrived 😁 Fentimans shandy to try, 4 big boxes of chicken bonios (who doesn’t love a bonio) and more nutrageous for MrWW (he’s a big fan)! 

I have decided to get back into competitions, I used to do hundreds a week and had a few good wins over the years, but haven’t done them for a few years. If I enter competitions for a few hours on an evening it will stop me cruising my shopping baskets or eating and I may get a few wins 😁

DrCarrie

I think about doing competitions and surveys...never quite manage it, and think I would get dispondent!