I want to stop spending so much.

[Lisa M]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

Don't feel bad...you're not alone.

We use to have credit cards out the wazoo before we had to file our credit history away and start brand new (I highly DON"T recommend doing unless dire needs arise. In our case, it was.). So, we are basically the "cash and carry" type of people that pretty much spend the cash and carry, then we look back and go, "What the heck were we thinking?"

My dad bought us our first Dave Ramsey "Finacial Peace" tape and book after we filed. I may sound bias, but I like Dave Ramsey with his to-the-point information about budgeting. We've paid some "stupid tax" along the way, but for the majority of the past 3 years we've been able to stick to a budget and stay afloat with a savings account that's finally working well for us.

Our main goal this year is to pay off our DD11's braces and go on vacation. So, to help save money for both, my DH made One-Way banks: one for vacation, one for emergency and upcoming bills (braces), as well as making one for each of the girls for their own spavings. It may seem drastic to drop money in a tub that you have to hack-saw to get the money out, but it's worth it.

Here's the pictures of it...1 PVC pipe, 2 cuplers, 1 slit on one end, and put in a place where we know to drop money in but theives would be confused by. LOL..





Best wishes!! I know you can do anything you set your mind to! Just make sure you check into everything inside out, upside down, and back wards before you commit Oh, and don't forget to look down in stores, parking lots, sidewalks, etc. for "loose change". LOL...you'd be amazed at how much pocket change can be found.

Happy savings!

[Miss Phode]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

Those banks are a cool idea. We have a money jar, but hubby is constantly stealing the quarters out of it. The hubby proof bank is genius!

[Lisa M]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

We had that problem too with the money jar until DH came up with the idea to save for a new hunting riffle he'd been drooling over. It worked. The tube is actually pretty fun to have. When we shake it, it sounds like a rain stick with all the change clanking back and forth from end to end. LOL...

[julirama723]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

We had that problem too with the money jar until DH came up with the idea to save for a new hunting riffle he'd been drooling over. It worked. The tube is actually pretty fun to have. When we shake it, it sounds like a rain stick with all the change clanking back and forth from end to end. LOL...

Oooh, so I can save for my future *AND* make new instruments for my classroom? COOL!

[boonie stomper]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

Check out www.freecycle.org for a group in your neighborhood. Nothing costs anything there.

[Lyssie]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

I love that rainstick idea... I have a piggy bank, I probably (ok, definitely) use my ATM card a wee bit too much... like, I see a pair of pants I want and they're mine 2 seconds later, but they're almost always on sale... even if I don't really *need* them. Anyway, I have a piggy bank (or 5) but whenever I want something, I'm like, oh, I can just take the extra cash out of piggy if I really need it (which I actually *DID* need once, but the rest of the times I could have not needed to).

Anyway, if you combine a few of the ideas here, after basically plotting out how much you *need* to survive on a day-to-day basis, it makes sense... So if you sit down and plot out how much you actually use for lunch or whatever, then just give yourself that for the week, leave the card at home, take the extra cash on the day you buy gas (I only buy once a week so I guess it could be more often than that)... Transfer extra money in checking (since now you won't be taking so much out) over to a savings account... Now what are the chances I can actually *do* this??

[ValidRouge]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

Yeah, well, when I quit smoking I was supposed to be saving the money....I haven't saved one RED CENT! dammit!

I could have $1086 if I had done that.....and be on my way to Margaritaville this summer

[Lyssie]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

That's ok, I just calculated out that I have like, 500$ disappear every month on non-essential items?!

[Miss Phode]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

I'm adding up what I spent in the month of January, and I'm not liking it.

[Miss Phode]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

We spent $407.85 eating out. That doesn't include groceries. I spent $416.65 on groceries. And guess how much I threw away because we decided to eat out instead.

[biogeek]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

DH and I are savers....we LOVE watching our accounts grow. It doesn't mean that we don't splurge on items either. We just make certain we can really afford it when we purchase items or go on trips. This allows us to purchase without thinking "OMG, how am I going to afford to pay that bill?"

For example, when we went to LA last August, we had saved up $4000 just for that trip. We ended up not spending it all (we thought LA would be more expensive), but we had a blast spending what we did....and no worries for later on!

If you're really serious about increasing your assets and decreasing your liabilities, it is wise then to list out everything you owe each month. Start with expenses that you can not change: rent/morgage (if you have one), utilities, phone, insurance, etc. Then there are expenses that you must have, but are flexible, i.e. food. Compare that to your salary. You can then see what you have left over to either save, spend, or a combination thereof.

This is Feb 1st, a GREAT day to start keeping track of what you spend in a month. Every penny you spend, keep track of it: date, location, what you purchased. You can then see at the end of the month where your money goes. Some people are really surprised at how much crap they spend in a typical month, and they don't even remember buying it or enjoying it.

Our biggest expenses each month goes to Home Depot. We do projects on the weekends to fix up our home. Second largest expense is food: we love steak & prime rib! Otherwise, we have no morgage on our home nor any loans on our cars, and we pay off our credit cards in full each month.

Good luck on controlling your spending!

[Miss Phode]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

We spent $294.20 on gas.

Making a budget is depressing.

[Lyssie]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

uhmmm... I spend like, $400 on groceries, then $200 on lunches... my gas is like, nothing compared to yours, but it's only 1 car... that gets 30mi/gal

[biogeek]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

Naw, not having the money at the end of the month to pay your bills is.

[Miss Phode]

Re: I want to stop spending so much.

I drive a small toyota and I can pretty much fill the tank for about $25. Hubby, on the other hand, drives a gigantic truck, and is on the road all day making sales calls. Actually, January might not have been a good month to figure out gas out, because he started a new job and didn't drive nearly as much as he normally would because he spent half the month in training. I put 215 miles on my car per week just driving to and from work.