I Need to Start Saving and Stop Spending!

Have you ever had your paycheck float into your account, only for it to be into the minuses a week later? Yeah, so have I. It’s not a good feeling, and worrying about my finances is becoming really draining. Honestly, it’s not like I don’t earn enough money to survive, I do. I just can’t seem to control my spending. My friends are always out at swanky bars, eating in expensive restaurants and wearing branded clothing. It’s pretty tough to keep up, you know?

 

But this is it. I have decided that now is the time for me to actually get on top of my budget, and fight back against my own innate need to spend! Even if I have to miss out on meeting up with friends from time to time, and having expensive bottles of wine and branded clothing, I am determined to get there! So this is my self-motivational finance plan!

 

#1 Writing it all down

I read somewhere that our spending habits can often be subconscious. We live in an era where everything costs money and we are spending all of the time, so the act of buying can become second nature, rather than something that we consciously register. So, I am going to start writing everything that I spend down. This should (hopefully) help me to better register how much I am spending.

 

#2 If I have to spend than I will keep it to a minimum

I am trying to be understanding toward myself and there are times in life that you just have to spend money. I don’t want to start feeling guilty after buying toilet roll, after all. But if I do have to spend, then I will keep it to a minimum. I have done a little bit of research and found a cool site that has lots of voucher codes to save money available, so I think that I will be making use of that!

 

#3 Maybe my friends will go somewhere less expensive?

I would like to think that my more well off friends will understand that I can’t keep up with their frivolous li

festyle, but I know that sometimes in life this is not the case. I have spoken to a close friend, and she is more than happy to meet me in cheaper coffee shops or come over to my flat for dinner instead of heading to extravagant restaurants. I am not sure how the rest of the gang will feel about giving up their sleek bars and heading to the pubs with me. I can’t afford it though, so I have no choice. I’ll ask.

 

#4 The incoming and outgoing problem

This is one of those things that I always lose track of! I have a problem with spending more than what is actually coming into my account. I have sat down and gone through the amount that comes into my account, and the amount that goes out (bills, insurance, rent etc…) each month. What is left over is a little dire, but it’ll do. I’ll try and spend a hundred less than what’s left over – to begin with – in order to start actually saving something! It’s going to be tough.

I think that if I really put my mind to it this time, that i’ll be able to actually start saving! The biggest issue is that my friends are highly successful. I always feel like I have to keep up with their lifestyle. But in reality, if I need to go to cheaper places and they refuse to join me, then i’ll know who my real friends are!

If anyone has any tips that you think might help me out then please do let me know!

I have a long way to go, but I think this is a promising start!