How do you stop yourself spending money?

liam08

liam08

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Liam
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As hard I try, I just can't stop buying stuff.
I always want something better than I have, I'm never content, a much as I'd like to be.
Today was particularly bad, I was in Jessops and wanted to buy a new camera. Even though there is nothing wrong with my 1100d, I was in Currys aswell, I was so close to buying a new MacBook, even though there is nothing wrong with my current one. My mate stopped me both times, but when I'm on my own I'm really bad.

It's a genuine question, not a 'look what I've got' boast.

How do you stop yourself?
 
I find being married works quite well :lol:

i do know what you mean though - I find the classifieds on here very tempting - I go i n there kidding myself that i'm 'just looking' and the next thing you know i've bought a 40D, a flashgun, and a sat nav :bang: (to be fair I "needed" the 40D and I got a good deal, and the flash gun was for my father in law, but still)

at the end of the day all you can do is set a budget and stick to it - and if you are physically going shopping take the cash and leave the drastic plastic at home
 
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I feel for you, I went in to buy a D800 today and came out with a D3S hotshoe cover ... :thinking:
 
Im terrible for this.

Technology and Apple products.....wife hates me for it.

The last year, iMac, Mac Book Pro, iPad, iPhone, iPod!!

Then its the car..

Respray, wheels, coil overs, cleaning gear (prob about £1000 worth of the stuff)

She made me get into photography as she thought it would be a cheaper hobby!!!

Oh dear...
 
I rarely go out to buy stuff, I go out and end up buying stuff.
 
G4v_HD said:
Im terrible for this.

Technology and Apple products.....wife hates me for it.

The last year, iMac, Mac Book Pro, iPad, iPhone, iPod!!

Then its the car..

Respray, wheels, coil overs, cleaning gear (prob about £1000 worth of the stuff)

She made me get into photography as she thought it would be a cheaper hobby!!!

Oh dear...
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Apple are my main issue. I don't do contracts, I own my 4S, iPad 3, nothing wrong with the MacBook. Just bought a newer car. If I could save, I'd have so much money, but I can't. I'm very lucky, I have no bills and I live with my GF and it's free. Luckily, I'm utterly useless at photography ATM, so I don't think about lenses yet, although I've just bought a nifty 50 and 250. But they're cheap.

I want to be able to save, but I can't.
 
liam08 said:
Apple are my main issue. I don't do contracts, I own my 4S, iPad 3, nothing wrong with the MacBook. Just bought a newer car. If I could save, I'd have so much money, but I can't. I'm very lucky, I have no bills and I live with my GF and it's free. Luckily, I'm utterly useless at photography ATM, so I don't think about lenses yet, although I've just bought a nifty 50 and 250. But they're cheap.

I want to be able to save, but I can't.
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yeah I have what my wife describes as a "bloke want" for an Ipad - that is i have no earthly need of one , and can't actually think what i'd use it for , but they look very cool and shiny.

(I'm trying to write a book so I might 'need' one for that - but then again the existence of three laptops and a desktop in the house might suggest that its not an absolute necessity)

Ditto with the Iphone 4S - I could upgrade my phone to one on a 24 month contract and only pay a "little bit" more per month - I don't actually need one, and i'm not sure what i'd use it for other than as a walking arround camera
 
liam08 said:
I rarely go out to buy stuff, I go out and end up buying stuff.
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Don't go out - problem solved ;)

Or move to rural devon where theres nowhere to go and nothing to buy if you did... except fudge of course... and cider :lol:

trouble is you wind up staying in an spending money on ebay and TP
 
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liam08 said:
Apple are my main issue. I don't do contracts, I own my 4S, iPad 3, nothing wrong with the MacBook. Just bought a newer car. If I could save, I'd have so much money, but I can't. I'm very lucky, I have no bills and I live with my GF and it's free. Luckily, I'm utterly useless at photography ATM, so I don't think about lenses yet, although I've just bought a nifty 50 and 250. But they're cheap.

I want to be able to save, but I can't.
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Send your money to me and I'll look after it for you...:naughty:
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Send your money to me and I'll look after it for you...:naughty:
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Promise you won't spend it?
 
big soft moose said:
Don't go out - problem solved ;)
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I spend more online where it's just putting in my card number than I do in a shop where I have to hand over cash or card!
 
big soft moose said:
(I'm trying to write a book so I might 'need' one for that - but then again the existence of three laptops and a desktop in the house might suggest that its not an absolute necessity)
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There was a time when a typewriter was all that was needed for writing a book :lol:
 
big soft moose said:
Moved by FiTPs selfless offer I'll volunteer to look after your credit and debit cards :nuts:
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Debit card would be empty if he had my money.
 
Saving up is easy. Set up a standing order into a savings account just after you get paid. Make sure it is one of those savings account with a passbook and 60 days notice. Then you if you want it you'll have to physically go and get it.

If you live with someone you should be paying a share of the bills. That should help reduce the spare money you have quite nicely too :)
 
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I call it getting a spend on, cold showers work well. :)
 
Ive never been able to stop myself yet. Luckily im away weeks at a time earning money to have only a short period of time before the next payday haha.
 
I find the threat of the misses giving me an epic rollocking stops me most times.

Mind you, my bosses are quite accommodating - they hate buying new camera gear (that old non-photographer ignorance to upgrades) so i just suggest that if they buy it, I'll pay them back through my wages. A D7000 is on its way as a result after telling them it's for video work :lol:
 
srichards said:
Saving up is easy. Set up a standing order into a savings account just after you get paid. Make sure it is one of those savings account with a passbook and 60 days notice. Then you if you want it you'll have to physically go and get it.

If you live with someone you should be paying a share of the bills. That should help reduce the spare money you have quite nicely too :)
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Neither of us pay bills. She manages a pub and we live above it. I get paid every week, can you do weekly standing orders? 60 days would be crap too, just in case I needed a bit of cash for something.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Tried that.....

Made me realise what I needed was a fancy new shower :lol:
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Made me laugh.
 
If I had the money i'd be the same - unfortunately i have (as Mr sprinsteen has puts it ) "debts no honest man can pay" so most of whats left gets punched off the various outstanding cards and loans (largely incurred in trying to keep cars on the road)

every now and then I have an ahh **** it moment and buy something i really want (like the 40D - I've been shooting with a 20D for over 8 years) then i wind up eating cut price food for a couple of months.
 
liam08 said:
Neither of us pay bills. She manages a pub and we live above it. I get paid every week, can you do weekly standing orders? 60 days would be crap too, just in case I needed a bit of cash for something.
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That's handy then :)

You can do weekly standing orders I think. You wouldn't need to put all your money into another account just some of it to save for a rainy day. That was the idea so it didn't burn a hole in your pocket so much :D

Lots of banks do online savings accounts. I have one with my lloydstsb current account so spare money can be squirrelled off into that. It is immediately accessible but I have to login via online banking and transfer it back.
 
crofter said:
I don't spend money, it spends itself, as soon as I get some someone wants it.
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you know the saying

"money talks and thats no lie
I heard it once, it said goodbye"
 
WILLPOWER
 
I build up a "fun fund" out of the £2/£1/50p/20p coins in my pocket (deposited into my piggy bank - actually it's a litre beer tankard borrowed from a German bar...) - I do occasionally dip into it for parking change so it's not a closed device - but a litre of £2/£1/50p/20p coins is worth having :)

Mind you - I still spend a lot of time looking and talking myself out of spending the cash...
 
Ebilpirate said:
Yep,

Wife approval / sign off. The great spending regulator.
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It's easier to seek forgiveness then it is to ask for permission!
Saying that though wife has threatened to cut my fingers off if I buy anything else photography related until the debts are cleared!
 
hunnymonster said:
I build up a "fun fund" out of the £2/£1/50p/20p coins in my pocket (deposited into my piggy bank - actually it's a litre beer tankard borrowed from a German bar...) - I do occasionally dip into it for parking change so it's not a closed device - but a litre of £2/£1/50p/20p coins is worth having :)

Mind you - I still spend a lot of time looking and talking myself out of spending the cash...
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I do this too. I tend to think of spending in round figures and use notes most of the time so if something actually costs £7.50 I consider the purchase to be £10 then drop the change into a money box. In 12 months it normally results in a 'bonus' of £200-300 to spend as I want.

I then rationalise making a purchase online saying I'll use that money and then never deposit it back into my account so those savings get re-spent several times before the money actually gets put into my bank so it isn't a perfect system :D
 
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