As someone who is really, really good at spending money this is a hard task for me.
So far, I have been doing pretty good. Not great, but good.
What is it about saying you can't do something that makes you want to do it so bad?
I was forced to go into Target and Marshall's the other day in order to buy my mom a birthday gift (birthday gifts are excluded from the freeze obviously) and everything I saw I just wanted to buy so bad. I swear, I am normally not that much of a shopper. Most of my spending is done in the form of bar tabs, restaurant bills, and pedicures, but right now I just want to shop.
I behaved though. Difficult as it was.
I have however already caved in the coffee department and have bought about 38 coffees despite having a perfectly functional coffee maker in my home. And that was just the first week. This one might be the hardest to break. I just love gas station coffee so much.
As for eating out, another thing Jose and I are terrible about, we tend to eat out more than most food critics, we have not been doing a bang up job. Like not at all. I am less than proud to report we have dinned out about 50 times since the freeze began. In fact we went out several times hte first week alone. Once for dinner (it was to meet up with friends we hadn't seen in ages so I am cool with that one) I decided to get carryout for lunch one day, which was real dumb because I had 34534 tons of fresh food in my fridge but whatever, I used a ten dollar bill I found in Jose's pants when I did his laundry so I technically didn't spend any money. Then we had a snow day and we decided to eat out for breakfast and lunch because we are chubs....but in our defense we were a little hungover.
In terms of buying shit I have been good. I have not purchased anything that was not a necessity yet. Why is it that when you can't shop everything looks so damn inviting?
What do you guys do to keep from spending all your money when you are trying to save a little? I need help I am no good at this!!
13 comments:
i wrote a post on what i do to save money: http://www.lifeinprogress.ca/lifeinprogress/2013/10/99-problems-and-having-money-is-one.html
for many, the most money that is spent is eating out. seriously, that shit adds up! even if you just do this for ONE month, only eat out ONCE and then see how much money you save at the end of the month. it's a real eye opener.
kathy
Vodka and Soda
Seriously the best is just to stick to cooking at home, bringing coffee from home and maybe choose one or two nights out per week and budget a certain amount for that outing. Bring cash and put it on the bar, once you can see it dwindling every drink you buy it will let you know when you are done.
I hate that!! When I go shopping intending to buy buy buy I never find anything!!! But when I know I have no money and can't spend a lot I want it all!!! GGrrrrrrr.
I love the fact that you love gas station coffee so much, hahaha! To not spend money, my husband and I make an effort to carry cash. It sounds stupid and you probably already do it, but when I have cold, hard cash in my wallet and I know that when it's gone, it's gone, it makes me much more particular about what I spend it on. When I have a plastic debit card and I can't "feel" the money leaving my wallet, I spend money willy nilly. The difference is like night and day for me! A small change, but helps a lot!
It's hard isn't it! I try to carry cash and then limit the number of times I eat out but then I find myself spending loads in the supermarket on food.
Yasmeen x
http://themirroraffects.blogspot.co.uk
I need to go on a spending freeze like yesterday. But food is my weakness. Ugh. Good job!
you know what keeps me from buying stuff? my husband. he's insane. really. i've never seen anyone like it and i think it's rubbed off on me.
I am similar in the sense that most of my money is frivolously spent at bars and restaurants. We LOVE going out to eat and for drinks. I'm pretty good at not buying clothes and shit unless I need something but food... it's so hard not to eat out! Plus, breakfast while hungover is a must.
I'm with Helene. I stopped going into stores with Billy because he gives me such a guilty conscience. Mister frugal frank.
I am the worst when I'm hungover or just having a lazy weekend and John is no help. All we want to do is order in greasy food or eat out somewhere - anything but cook things.
I'm so horrible at not spending money. If I know I have the money on me, I'll spend it. I'll just think of things that I "need" to buy while I'm sitting at work, and then after work, I'll go and buy them. It's really bad. Like you, I've eaten out way too many times. I keep telling myself that I'm not going to spend money unless I need to, but it's not going well. Sigh. If you come up with any tips, holla at ya girl.
I am AWFUL at saving money. Just awful. Usually the only thing that can stop me is guilt and not even that works all the time. haha
I look around at all the shit I own and say to myself, do not even THINK about buying anything else, asshole.
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