SPENDING...
I am sure I will always have it. I have just learned to manage it.
I am sure I will always have it. I have just learned to manage it.
You may already know that I'm big on budgeting and that's for good reason. I used to be really bad with money. I don't know exactly when it all started or why, but I do know that once I was about 22 years old and had my own apartment, I became depressed. In order to cope with my depression I had to go out and shop.
Not just for clothing, but for anything. It got to the point where I literally could go to a gas station and get stuck buying knick knacks from in the store. The real problem was that I put everything on my credit cards and I ended up with almost $28k in debt by the age of 23. It was so bad.
Lucky for me, I am a very strong minded person so I educated myself about my problems and researched ways to get myself back on track. Fast forward to now, I only have $9k left in debt which should be gone in a matter of months.
But I wanted to make a point to remind people something about addiction, especially when you say things like "What would make a person want to do drugs, how stupid?!" It's not that we want to do it, it's that we are sick in the mind and we are making bad decisions. I knew I was in over my head with debt and I kept spending. I would hide it if I had to. I never bragged about my new goods.
I bought clothes, accessories, home decor, and more.
When I finally realized I could no longer live that way, I began to read about different ways to control your spending and practice going to stores and NOT buying anything.
So I put everything I read into action. I would go to big stores and grab things I liked, and then as I made my way towards the registers, I put things back as I reasoned with myself about if I really needed them or not. Eventually, I could go to any store, and leave without purchasing a single thing.
Then I got my budget situated, and stuck to a cash envelope system.
And the rest is history....
Have you ever had a spending problem?
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Good for you for paying off your debt and sticking to it, that is awesome! My husband and I went through FPU 4 years ago and became debt free using some of those methods :)
ReplyDeleteAhhh I Love FPU! Yay for you guys! good job!
DeleteI have had a spending problem and shopping has been something that has made me feel better in the past. I would even buy other people stuff to make me feel good, but that was just an excuse to buy things. At stores, I do the same thing with looking at what I have and deciding whether I really need it or not. I've gotten to the point where I sometimes end up putting everything back. I'm a big online shopper, so I'll look at things and either save them or put them in the shopping cart and wait a few days or weeks. The result is either that the website doesn't save what's in my shopping cart, I forget I've saved links to things I want, they no longer carry my size or the stuff is sold out, or I realize that I don't need all or any of the stuff.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the amazing work!
http://dogmomchic.blogspot.com/
Yep, once you break the habit, you are on a roll! Thanks for sharing your story. makes me feel good to know im not alone!
DeleteI used to buy clothes all the time. Do to I thought I had nothing to wear. Once I did my first 30x30 I learned I didn't need new clothes all the time. Now I barely buy new clothes. Congrats on almost being debt free.
ReplyDeleteI know i used to do that too! And thanks for the congrats girl :) means a lot!
DeleteI have a spending problem. I think it's more that I'm in impulse buyer instead of a think things through buyer like my husband. I'm working on becoming debt free. It's a long road but I know we will get there. Congrats on being debt free (well, almost).
ReplyDeletehttp://innerworkingsofthefemalemind.wordpress.com/
Dont give up girl! I used to be an impulse buyer as well! Thanks for stopping by to read!
DeleteGreat post! I like to spend but i'm also big into saving so I guess it kind of evens out in the long run!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Kim
www.champagneista.blogspot.com
Never a bad way to be ;)
DeleteThanks for sharing your story with us. And, congrats for being out of debt (I'm reading this late and you ARE debt free at this point - awesome for you!)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Sharon!
Delete