52 Simple Ways to Manage Your Money – 14. When Did It All Go?
A Weekly Journal & Workbook to Help You Take Real Control of Your Money
What it is …
Consistently spending more money than you have available or spending money that you know will not be available in the near future. In short, your spending exceeds your income.
Key items to look for …
Using one charge card to pay off another.
Consistently making late payments.
Borrowing from friends frequently.
Keys to action …
Seek emotional assistance from Overspenders Anonymous, credit counseling, therapists, or support groups.
Put your credit cards in a place where it is very inconvenient to reach them, like a safe deposit box, or frozen in a block o f ice in your freezer.
Start a budget you can live with.
SET IT UP
Make the conscious decision to take control.
STEP ON IT
Know that you have the power to put your finances in order.
STEP ON IT +
Plan carefully and stay with it.
Notice…
What you tell yourself the fraction o f a second before you decide co purchase something.
What you say to yourself and others to justify your spending.
How much you complain and what you complain about in your life and the world.
How you feel as you are buying something new.
But what if …
You can’t seem to get ahead— no matter what happens?
Go over your budget to see if you have missed anything.
Consider the support of a financial advisor, such as a financial planner.
Thought primers …
When I want to buy, I tell myself…
When I spend freely, I…
Being responsible about my spending might mean…
When I look at the debt I’ve accumulated, I…
Its beginning to dawn on me that…
“if making money is a slow process, losing it is quickly done ” – Ibara Saikaku