What if you're in denial? Putting it all together would make you face that!
Great idea, I'm going to try that! Our list is up if you’d like to look… have a great day!
Jersey Girl,
Yup! That's what happened to us and it was not a pretty sight. But, slowly, we are fixing it up, and I've really learned a lot in the process, like how to create this web site.
Mama,
Thanks for your thoughts! I hope you do try it and some of my other suggestions, and, along the way, add in a few of your own. I'm going to check out your lists as well.
This is very similar to the process that I use. I've been able to completely pay off several debts and its going a long way towards keeping my student loans and mortgage on track!
I've found www.mybillq.com works wonders as well. It's an easy way to keep track of upcoming and bills. For a more complete and complicated method, I prefer MS Money, but I'm sure Quicken is just as good.
Shadow,
We've just started this whole process and we have spent a lot less money because we are really into trying to get rid of some of that debt. It is a great idea to anyone who has accumulated debt: one step at a time. And we kind of fell on the idea by reviewing some John Cummuta materials and then playing with the idea. Turns out Oprah's debt diet gives similar advice.
Shawn,
Thanks for the tip -- I'll check out the site. I just found that Quicken is fast to learn and not at all complex. Plus, once you set things up (which takes a little time, but not much), you can just jump on for a few minutes every few days or when a statement comes in. Today, I added a cash account to try to keep track of my spending in a little more detail. We'll see how that goes. I think we spend too much on stuff we need.
Donna, I think the operative term there is "need". Our pop cultures have taught us that what we "need" sometimes is really only a "want", but how do the big companies like Cingular, Levi's and Starbucks get business without convincing us we "need" their products?
This is all good wisdom in getting us to evaluate true "needs", and being sure we're not confusing then with "wants".
Shawn,
I totally agree with you. The most important thing that we have done lately is try to avoid spending on anything without thinking about it. It sounds simple, but it is easier said than done. How often do we just walk into a store and grab something, small or large, just because it strikes us at that moment. I am planning a new article called, "Random Acts of Spending," around that theme.
As for advertising, the thing is that they've created so much desire through really unbelievably clever methods, that we have no idea how much we have been brainwashed. I watch my daughter "need" the new jeans, or bag, or whatever it is, and, I wonder, does she realize how unimportant having it really is in the grand scheme of life? We have been having some serious discussions with her lately about what are her true needs and what are all the nice extras that sometimes she can have and sometimes she can't.
I kind of think of it lately as a "diet." When you go on a diet to lose weight, you often see advice, don't deprive yourself entirely. So, I sometimes spend money on a pure "want," but, because I am keeping receipts of every expenditure, large and small, I am less apt to do so than I was several months ago before we went on this new financial plan. It really makes a huge difference.
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