Thursday, June 16, 2011

spending tracking addiction

In order to reign in my spending, I have started to track my every dime with a spread sheet. I break down all amounts spent to a few categories and look at the sums of each.  Then I realized that I was spending too much on things that I didn't need.  So I made a game and aimed to reduce the personal, dinning out, clothes, and misc spending by a small amount each month.

I think I have displace my addiction.  Every time I want to by something, I think about what category it would fall under.  If it's not something that's a need (diapers for my kid, food- not junk food, etc) I would put it  back.  When I do go to the store, I can't wait until I get to break down the receipt when I get home.  I want to see how much is that category adding up to.  I look at the calendar and see what the total is at the particular part of the month.  I feel good about keeping things low through the 1st half.  The game to keep it well below the budget AND the previous month.  Of course unexpected things come up, but that's OK if it's a need (busted water heater or fridge), cause I have been good.

So now, instead of spending, I am addict to looking at my bank account and spending spreadsheets.

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