Stopping the spending...

**frooz** · 07-30-2007, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by mikandmari

Do you pay your bills online? When I decided to live frugally and pay off debt, I would make a decision NOT to purchase something... and come home and pay that amount to a bill online. For instance, I'd skip the new $18 shirt, and instead sit down at the computer and pay that $18 to one of my cards.

Most of my cards would only accept 4 payments per month, but since I had a few, I would just jump around. It quickly added up. Give it a try... seeing the balances begin to drop is great motivation

!

Oh that's a good idea, I've done that. You feel so much more rewarded and don't have the guilt association that you do with new shoes

**Grayce** · 07-31-2007, 02:44 AM

If you are finding that you cannot stop money from burning a hole in your pocket, why not spend it on debt repayment as soon as you get paid. The day I get paid I go online and pay my bills. I budget certain amounts for groceries etc. Anything else goes to debt repayment. On Thursday I paid my bills and had $1000 extra. $400 is saved for a car repair and the rest I put on my LOC right away. That way I can't spend it, it's already gone.

**Jessiquita** · 07-31-2007, 04:29 AM

Hi! I'm new to this site and can totally relate to your problem. I moved to NYC 10 years ago and have just now been able to finally pay off my consumer debt and start saving.
I pay all of my bills online and have discovered something interesting:
Every couple weeks or so, I take a good look at my checking account balance, and whatever extra is there I immediately transfer to my ING savings account. Sometimes it's a couple hundred dollars, sometimes more. The funny part is I get the same "buzz" that I get when I buy something... only without the guilty side-effects! Sounds sick I know but it seems to be working for me so far.
Several people have said that they keep their goals in mind. I do this, too... browsing for my dream apartment online sobers me up FAST when I'm tempted to buy something silly.
Good luck!!!

**PrairieRose** · 07-31-2007, 08:23 AM

Cut up the credit cards, carry only a small amount of cash and use it only for necessary things (food, gas money to get to work) and just stop the insanity. You need to learn to control yourself before you're under so much pressure from debt that you can't cope with it anymore. Stop looking at fashion magazines, stop watching fashion shows.....you're not Paris Hilton and non of us are entitled to live as if we are. You can do this but you gotta want it and you gotta make up your mind to do it.

**beautifullyhaunted** · 07-31-2007, 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by PrairieRose

Cut up the credit cards, carry only a small amount of cash and use it only for necessary things (food, gas money to get to work) and just stop the insanity. You need to learn to control yourself before you're under so much pressure from debt that you can't cope with it anymore. Stop looking at fashion magazines, stop watching fashion shows.....you're not Paris Hilton and non of us are entitled to live as if we are. You can do this but you gotta want it and you gotta make up your mind to do it.

I cut up the cards a long time ago, and I dont buy clothes or anything of that nature. The only time in the last 6 months that I bought an article of clothing was when I had to have khaki pants to work at dunkin donuts. My problem doesn't lie there. It lies in soda/food/Silly little stuff.

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies

**Siebrie** · 07-31-2007, 09:01 AM

If the problem is only soda / food / silly little stuff, then make sure you never leave home without food and soda. It is so much cheaper to make your own or buy your own in the supermarket and then bring it along to work, friends, etc. As for silly little stuff: if you follow the advice of calculating your genuine hourly wages, then hopefully you will think twice if you see that the silly keychain costs you 3 hours of your life. You probably could not sell it on, to make a bit of money? Would you buy it second hand?