I’m not in debt but apparently I have a tendency to overspend. I’m thinking I need to think of ways to tackle this… Like give my card to my mum to look after or not keep my pin so I can’t spend in shops or even if I get married I’ll never have a joint account so I don’t end up spending the whole of our money that would just be a preventative measure. I need to talk to him.
4 Likes
When I get ill I spend money without thoughts for the future. I set up direct debits for all my bills and now I have given my card to my parents. I don’t use cash for anything so this works out well.
I think in your case @anon80629714 I think your issues are when you are unwell too. Maybe think of setting something out for those times. Maybe ask your mum to keep your card when she sees you are manic. She could portion out cash for you for day to day spending money.
3 Likes
Can you just give yourself an allowance? Take that allowance out in cash and only ever use cash to buy things. When it comes to online purchases, put that amount of cash into a piggy bank or something and deposit it every so often.
5 Likes
That’s a good idea @LED. I never request my pin so buying in shops doesn’t happen. HOWEVER I managed to set up android pay which is a bad idea I’ll delete that 
2 Likes
My daughter has a pre-paid credit card, as she is only 14 she can’t have a normal credit card. I transfer some money into her account and she can only spend what she has in there. You could limit your spending if you have one of these.
5 Likes
I gave my credit card to my SO. But its still on Amazon, tee hee. We got a joint credit acct that I only buy groceries with. And I’ve added him to all my accounts in case something ever happens to me.
2 Likes
Bf has taken my card away from me on more than one occasion to make sure I don’t spend randomly. 
I mostly need to learn to say no to myself and my bf when he wants something.
4 Likes
I pay cash for much of what I buy.
I find I spend less this way.
2 Likes
-
Create a budget and stick to it… You don’t need to budget better, you need to spend more wisely. Track where you are spending your money and that will tell you a better story.
-
Learn to tell yourself and others “No”… you don’t need to always go out, buy the latest toys, or dine out.
-
Get out of debt and stay that way… There are many books are resources available for this.
-
Enlist the help of a trusted family member or friend to help hold you accountable with spending, if you feel comfortable doing so.
2 Likes
My wife and I seem to be saving money a little more perhaps because we moved last fall into a much cleaner and safer apartment. We tend to like staying home more so we don’t spend as much on dining, gas etc…
We also dumped our cable and internet which saves us about $100 a month. We miss it a little but we spend more time with our friends and family (and our cat) instead.
Also, I think it’s good to save up for something kinda big once in awhile. I bought a new musical keyboard for $200 a couple months ago and love it. I play it just about every day and am getting my old improvisational skills back.
I have also tried to give up on being a collector: I used to collect CDs, games, DVDs etc but now I usually get rid of all that stuff when it doesn’t interest me as much any longer.
2 Likes
At one point long ago, I agreed to basically hand over my money each month to my GF. This not only helped me effectively deal with my substance abuse issues, but also helped insure I wasn’t reckless with my spending.
Nowadays, we have kept this up. Every once I a while I get a little annoyed at having at not having any money in my pockets for small purchases. But since I tend to want to buy stuff like soda, liquor and smokes at these times, I realize that it’s probably still in my best interest.
About a year ago, I got a credit line for PayPal and for a while I was secretly buying all sorts of goodies and sneaking the packages in. I only admitted I had been doing it when it came time for me to pay off my rather large debt. I’ve paid almost all of it off, but my GF was pissed and rightfully so.
Maybe you can just take the necessary steps to make sure when you are tempted to buy unnecessary items, you have safety measures in place.
2 Likes
Me too, @eighteyedspy23. I just sold my old car to pay off the majority of my credit card that I had secretly racked up. I was given a new used car by one of my SO’s relatives. I really need to delete my card from PayPal and Amazon, its just too much temptation. I also sneak the packages and envelopes into the house and hide them in the closet. Although typically I feel so guilty I show my SO. He just looks at me but doesn’t say anything.
Our wedding fund is in a joint account. Its just killing me to be responsible with it because it a rather large sum, and what would a few dollars here and there mean? I know at some point there would be a reckoning/accounting of the money and I’d get caught red handed.
2 Likes
I too have a problem with overspending. I pay $92 a month for internet and cable together and I don’t ever watch the cable. What is wrong with that picture? I am now in $3000 worth of credit card debt. That is the only debt I have. I don’t know how I’m going to pay it off. My tenants just moved out of my house. Now, I’m getting less income per month, at least until I get some new renters.
2 Likes
I have a rental unit too. Finding good tenants is hard. I’ve lucked out and most of them have been long-term, 5+ years. Only 1 didn’t take care of the apartment. I’ve been to court 2x over rent and evictions.
I’m trying to figure out how to pay $119 to file my taxes! Those ■■■■■■■ charge you to file. No more credit card. I’m going to have to ask my SO or mom to pay with their credit card. Then I’ll owe them
Plus $24K in student loan, and I’ll probably never work again. So stupid. I never should have got my degree, totally worthless. I’m having a bad day.
I remember before I was diagnosed I was very undisciplined with money and when I lost my mind my entire life got ruined including my credit. I remember I felt like ■■■■ knowing that I was just spending money without a care in the world and how my life came crashing down. I took out a student loan and don’t even remember what I spent the money on that’s how bad I was. The diagnoses made me grow up and examine my life.
Eventually I disciplined myself and stopped completely spending money on anything that I didn’t need eventually I managed to save close to $30,000 while working and while I was functioning without my meds for almost a year. I also started investing in the stock market and next thing you know the illness came back with full force and I ended up spending almost half of that money on books and a new car because I flipped and totaled my car and thankfully made it out with only a scratch.
Once I stabilized again I started to build up in my savings again and I’m only 5 months away from paying off my student loan and slowly started to build up my credit while working and saving. As I’ve gotten older I’ve become even more serious about doing well financially and have been working on making sure that once the time comes I can get a house and have some money for retirement. But what I’m trying to say that it takes discipline and you have to make a conscious effort to control your spending.
-
You can start with having an emergency fund where you have your expenses covered for 3 - 6 months.
-
Then you focus on tackling any debt you have including credit cards, student loans, etc.
-
Don’t worry about buying the latest gadget, latest car or anything that you don’t need.
-
Keep it simple. The less you have the better your life will be.
-
Be less of a consumer and less materialistic.
-
We are constantly bombarded with advertisements about what to buy, what to wear, what to drive etc. Learn to sift through that and don’t be like the masses.
There is a guy by the name of Dave Ramsey that’s pretty good to listen too for more information.
I know this got pretty long but I thought I’d share this and hopefully it helps someone.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.