In the last few weeks I have kind of over-indulged and slipped into naughty habits of just buying stuff that I want with little thought to consequence. Hence this month, money has gotten a little tight and I am very glad that I am getting paid on Monday!
With this in mind, I have decided that for the next month I am not going to buy anything for myself! No books, no matter how cheap, no DVDs, no sweets ~ nothing! I am going to really deprive myself. I don't need any more books, I have loads on my TBR as well as all the books I am re-reading at the moment, and if any do come out there is no rush to buy them~ I have to learn that I don't need them there and then; I can wait!
My aim is not to buy any more books unless I sell or mooch some of the vast number of books on my TBR! And not to buy any more DVDs until I have watched some of those I have bought and not even seen yet!
I am also going to try AGAIN to keep a record of everything I spend starting from Monday when I start another weeks holiday. That way I can keep a note of where all my money is going and see where I need to cut costs! I am determined to try and get my expenditure down. We may not be able to afford to move right now but maybe I can help make this seem a little bit more likely by not treating myself and only buying essentials. I have tried before to keep records unsuccessfully but always lose heart, cannot be bothered after a few weeks and always end up giving up! This time though, I am going to try again and by posting that I am doing it on here, hopefully this will help my motivation!
Anyway, I will keep you informed how I get on and try to keep you updated with my progress. Until next time.....ciao peoples xxxx Sparky
In a vain attempt to take on the Credit Crunch, I have decided to try and cut down on non-essentials and stream-line my shopping so thought perhaps I should make a log here of how I get on along with any hints or tips I might have for anyone else trying to get by.
I have already mentioned- DOOYOO; this is a review site I use that helps provide me with a little extra cash. You can review almost anything and if something is not listed, you can make a suggestion. You get points for writing any review over 150 words, writing a first review of something and also when someone reads and rates your review. It is not a get-rich-quick solution but the money I made helped contribute to my buying an XBOX 360 and any money I make from now on will be helping with the bills. You have to rate other people too to get them to rate you in return and there is very much a " you scratch my back...." philosophy involved. Also it doesn't pay to just write 150 words and that's it just to earn some cash as, if people think you are "churning" or if your reviews are consistently not good enough, then you will not get people rating you. You can also earn crowns for outstanding reviews if members nominate you which give you more points. When you reach 10,000 you can get an Amazon voucher but if you reach 50,000 you can convert to cash. This is not as hard as it sounds and you can soon earn points just by reading and rating other members and getting yourself noticed. I have been on there two years now and, as an example, am back up to 50,000 points again after cashing in some money in September. Course I'm not going to cash in just yet, I want my points to go up so that when I do cash in, I won't have to wait so long before I can get some more money. If you like expressing your opinions on products, I fully recommend you give it a look....
This week I shopped at Asda and bought items that were labelled buy two for £3 etc that I buy every week. Things like sarnie meat etc that I can keep one packet out and freeze the other- I didn't save a lot of money but I am hoping that by stocking up on some stuff I buy every week, it may cut down my shopping bill next week....this week I spent £40.74 so we will see...
Martyn Lewis, the money-saving expert, recommends going down a level of shopping for every item you buy to save money so buying own brand goods instead of big brand names but that doesn't help me as I try to buy as many of the cheaper store brands as I can now. The fact is that with bills and petrol, I struggle to make ends meet, have a little debt to my name and really don't earn enough to get by. Only the fact that there are a lot of people in worse situations than me keeps me going. I think the key is to stay postive but realistic and just cut corners everywhere you can. One of the other things I am doing is not wearing my contact lenses every day and wearing my glasses more as I wear daily disposables off the internet and if I wear them every day that works out at £10 a month which is not much but as my wife says all adds up. I will still wear contacts but less than I have been so that a months supply lasts longer....
I am not sure what else I can do.......
