Always_Amazed's New Year; New Diary

always_amazed

Thank you!!!!
Feel a bit of a plonker about that. When I fist started on here; they all said 'cut it up straight away!!!'

And I thought, oh well I don't want to do that, my card is so lovely and shiney, I'll just keep it in a locked box!!!

Then it must have gravitated to my purse and stayed there and I suppose when I saw something I liked it became so easy just to pop it on the CC again.

But it's gone now, and I can't help being pleased that I did that before I reached my Credit limit, even if it was only £17 away

Anyway, ahehmhemhem, last night I had a wild and crazy one, Yes I did. £40 gone, but in my pre LBM days it could have easily gone from £70 upwards, so I'm okay with that, and it was budgeted for.

But in other news I have now got a new reason to go more DFW.... and healthy. Have met person and will not see him again for a month or so, but it's the perfect excuse to start taking care of myself and saving some money in the process (eg not drinking so much and cutting down the smokes).

So next time he sees me I will be glowing with health and he will be bowled over by my beauty and will fall in love with me.

That is my plan.

always_amazed

Morning!!
I was thinking about my SOA last night, and realised what was wrong with it; I'd forgotten to include all the 'big' things I purchase. For example; I hadn't budgeted in software purchases; when they are quite an essential for me as I'm doing a graphic design course next year. Or hardware purchases, another 'essential'; well not yet but they will be. And I hadn't budgeted in holidays; a luxury I know but I go with family and am expected to be there!!!

So I'll need to do a revised one. I have decided to impose a moratorium on purchasing anything for my computer until the summer (June). My course starts in September and I BET I'll get loads of student discounts as long as I just wait.

And, I need to say this; I would have been in a really good situation to make an overpayment on my debts this month and next month. However, there is a luxury purchase which, after thinking about for six months, I am going to go ahread with.
They are pieces of artwork, which I know deep down I will love forever and ever, not to mention that they are an investment. I can't really insure them individually now, but the house insurance is happy to let us claim against it if anything happened to them.
I'm so excited but not ecstatic; I know now that buying them now is not ideal and it's still part of the 'buy now pay later' culture I'm trying to get out of. However doing so will not increase my debt, and I'll never ever have the chance to buy them again, or to wait till I'm debt free. By then they will have sold and I'll never afford them or be able to track them down!

It's a difficult trade off; this artwork and skiing are the only two things I want more than freedom from debt. And thankfully the health problems are keeping me from too much of the second, or my head would be firmly back in the sand .
And the art is a one off purchase which I can recover from. It's such a hard one, I don't want to spend the money BUT if I don't get this art I know I will regret it for a long time.

always_amazed

Just started going through a ton and a half of bank statements, notes and receipts. I'm putting them on a spreadsheet; I really really want to know how and why I've spent my money in the past.
It's a pretty horrid task but should, fingers crossed, keep me from the demon spending., if only because it's keeping me busy. I'm doing the older ones (my statements / spending only really began in 2003) as well as I can, and trying to see if any of my splurges relate to major events (they do seem to); but the more recent ones I can go into a lot more detail, which is good.

One thing I have noticed is that since I found this site (and when I had a month's absence especially) that I was always buying the best value item, for once. However; that is really no use if I didn't need it in the first place, is it?!?

And another thing, I'd have taken better care of my belongings (eg I stepped on my sunglasses this summer, got new ones, and sat on them) if I had realised the value of money. I would have been able to sell so many things, or at least enjoy them for longer and not need to replace them.

This is a difficult one to put into practice, but as usual, once I identify hat I want to change about myself I'll try and do it, even if my subconcious resists it!!

always_amazed

Am beginning to realise that these small steps I'm making are not insignificant by any means.

Also can now see, in clear light of things, that if I can avoid spending in the second half of any given month (because I have £0) then I can quite easily avoid spending in the first half of a month. It's just all about breaking a habit.

Last night was tough, I feel pretty drained, I guess I did loads of exercise yesterday but I think it was the banking stuff which really got me sleepy.

12 days till payday now. I've done okay; I was paid a week early due to christmas.

I need to write down a plan of action for what to do with the cash on payday; I also must have clear plan for following four months as they will be tough.
Will apply for new A/C now and if that gets opened by payday will be very happy

always_amazed

Just about to start more of this 'receipt' and old receipt processing... sigh... have been such a fool. I can't beleive how many switch transactions there are for nightclubs made before I was 18 !!

always_amazed

Okay; time for a bit of journaling I think!

I want to start noting down my 'small DFW' things in here as well as in the main thread by Sophiesmum, and I also might start noting dow my small diet/fitness things I've done in a day!

So,DFW wise;
today I have had a NSD (and am going to avoid the lures of ASDA even though I need new tights because if I go I'll buy loads of rubbish, and I bet I can find some online in a sale somewhere!)
I made an extra (counts up tips...) £33.60 today; that's £6.60 in my pocket and £27 coming on payday.
I'm not going to use it as 'spends' as I don't want to get back into the habit of spending you see.
And yesterday I insisted on only paying for my meal for the birthday.

And I'm going to do a bit more of this darn spending diary malarkey.

And Diet Wise:
Last night I ate extra healthily at the restaurant.
I walked to work and back rather than getting a lift.
The extra shift today was all on my feet, moving around
And I didn't snack at all

always_amazed

Okay DFW wise;
I got new furniture second hand for free rather than buying something.
Am going to spend MINIMUM on getting it up to scratch.
Wi spend loads of time of DFW today!

And diet wise:
Not eating rubbish and doing walking

pinkpr1nc3ss

:hello:Hello

I replied to you yesterday on another thread and have just found this diary. You are doing really well with everything, I'm looking forward to reading about your progress.

always_amazed

Thank you! I don't get a lot of posts on this because I don't often do so myself but I'm going to try to keep it up

Have you got a diary? Would love to pick your brains about how you up your income, your sig says you are doing pretty well!!

Today DFW I'm having a NSD.
I'm not feeling so good (super hormonal PMT today great!) today so I'm just fighting on through these receipts and trying to see in black and white what I've done with money for the last five years!!

And diet wise; cooking myself no convenience foods.

xxx

always_amazed

Riight; today I hope for a NSD but I may buy some bus tickets todau (very thrifty indeed for me I think!!) I can't really do that until I fully plan my journey down south; and what I can do for free. For example I'll have to factor in tube travel etc; something I never thought about before!

Diet wise; I'm failing miserably. I ate almost a whole cheesecake last night. I ask my mum not to buy fattening foods (shes a rake and doesn't eat them, but says I'm too thin. I'm not.) as I can't resist them. So she bought a huge cheescake to 'cheer me up'. I was so anygry with her for doing that and got so upset; guess what I did?! I ate the cheesecake.

I've got to stop sabotaging myself because she is sabotaging my plans. It;s not her fault she won't cooperate or whatever is going on in her head. She tries to control me so much; by telling me that when I stand firm I'm behaving like a control freak. That's not true, I just want to feel good about myself.

That's quite a lightbulb moment for me actually; I needent let her control me! Just wish I was in position to move out. Not long now!!