saving : how much I suck at it
by Morganvsmorgan
Can we just talk honestly for a second about my aparent incapability to stick to a budget??
About 10 weeks ago I decided to go on a shopping ban (self imposed in a strong moment, but highly encouraged by my boyfriend). Around 9 weeks ago, I failed.
Then I tried the $50 per week budget, not including an extra $80 for fortnightly petrol. That didn’t work out either. I ended up blowing that budget when I had to buy people’s birthday presents weeks in a row.
Can I illustrate this entire post in badly drawn Paint graphics? Yes, yes I can.
I think for some people, having a set amount of money they’re allowed to spend per week might be a good way to promote savings, but for me it just gives me an exuse to spend money every week.
When I think of the times in my life I’ve managed to save large amounts of money, its always been when I’ve just totally ignored my bank account. It seems that for me, the best tactic is to pretend I’m broke and only give myself the oppurtunity to spend money when there’s something I legitimately NEED to buy. Which I will then run by the boyfriend to make sure that it is a legitimate human need and not just something I spent two hours justifying in my head (“but everyone needs yellow heels in their life.”) Is it sad that I need to treat myself like a small child with their first piggy bank? Yes. Yes it is.
Admittedly, being a person interested in style and beauty, and perhaps even more so a person that blogs about it, makes it a bit harder for me to save. As community in blogging is important to me, I’m constantly checking out other people’s style and beauty blogs, and that often leads to finding new inspiration, which, creatively – is great, but financially? Not so much. I’m constantly finding new things that I want to buy, which certainly doesn’t help to control my spending impulses.
So while I’ve accepted that I’m never going to stop wanting things and stop buying things, I’ve decided to try and resolve the issue by buying myself things as a reward system for things I want to get done: getting good marks in an assignment, or finishing a particularly hard one tot he best of my ability, or doing something I’m afraid of (like blood tests or getting a new job). The things I buy don’t have to be expensive, but hopefully by having them as rewards I’ll delay the spending and increase my productivity.
Time for YOU to weigh in: How do you save your money? Does your blog or hobby affect the way you save?
morganvsmorgan 
I feel your pain!!!!!!!! Shopping IS my hobby. It is ridiculous that I have gone 66 days without repeating any clothes.
Boyfriend is forcing me to save to pay off mortgage. The incentive is a trip to Italy in January (admittedly I’m the teacher on a school trip, so all my saved money is for food and shopping) and then a romantic trip to Fiji next year.
He just shakes his head any time a sneaky package arrives. I don’t really have any tricks for saving. Am open to suggestions too!!
K xx
Well thats a good incentive! My incentive is having money to move to Melbourne next year with my boyfriend & my two best friends, so you’d think that would be exciting enough for me to save – but I keep ordering sneaky packages thinking $20 here & there isn’t too much, but it all adds up!
I think another incentive I have is if I manage to save enough money, I might allow myself to start singing lessons- something I’ve always wanted to do.
Don’t worry, last time I went shopping I bought 5 pairs of shoes in one store. In my defense, it was $220 for the whole lot but still- he was not too impressed, haha.
Maybe whenever you want to buy something, put it on a list and then make another list of things you need to do (like save $1000) in order to allow yourself to buy it. That way you get what you truly want but cut out all the little things! :p xx
Life took many interesting turns. I used to outearn my parents in the 90s and had a closet of Manolos and Jimmy Choos. But I worked very hard and had no time for myself to actually enjoy living. It was hard to justify my existence in this manner.
More than a decade later, I am a stay at home mother. While my husband earns a good salary, we have to stay on a budget. I never wear those shoes and rarely spend money on myself as we have a child who grows like a weed. But when I treat myself, I savor the moment–whether it is getting my nails done, or finally buying that Ferragamo wallet I wanted for two years…. and I appreciate it so much more now that I did 15 years ago.
In terms of staying on budget, I write down everything I spend my money on in my planner. When I look at it once in a while, I can see “Whoa, I must really love Starbucks” and make adjustments, like make my coffee at home. I put the US$3 in an envelope each time I do so, and then deposit the cash in the bank after the month is done. One month, I had about US$100. I realized that I could indeed buy a great pair of designer shoes at retail if I made small adjustments and stick to it consistently.
I hope you enjoy Melbourne! 🙂
Love your artwork, by the way!
thats a really good tip! I should definitely start keeping track of the “little things” I buy that really add up. & its definetly better to have a fulfilling life and feel really excited about your presents to yourself than have everything come easily.
Haha thankyou, I’m sure one day my Paint drawings will go down in history as great art 😉 x
Of course, looking and wishing is a lot of fun. Right now I am wishing for a Goyard St. Louis PM tote in Yellow or Red, with my monogram. Um, US$1300 for a flimsy looking canvas bag (including shipping, but not VAT?) Definitely not a human NEED per se. I tell myself, I would rather have a few lovely, wonderful things than a bunch of crap. When the time comes that I have saved the appropriate amount for whatever it is as wanted, I change my mind. Perhaps I didn’t really want it after all, and just liked having a goal to save for?
that’s the best, because then you have the money already saved up for the next thing you want! My friend bought a LV leather bag not that long ago & the leather straps have already started falling apart! She loves LV but is thinking of looking into other brands after that mishap 😦 Especially when you pay so much money for it! Would break my heart!
Don’t let the blogging charade get to you! A LOT of bloggers are in huge debt for their wardrobes (why are they constantly selling their clothes?!) and getting rid of stuff they hoard. I think it gives people and other bloggers bad impressions to keep up with them. I keep things very thrifty, and while tempted, I didn’t shop for clothes from January until half way through April and it was difficult. I didn’t stop myself from window shopping, or even going to the thrift store and just browsing. Which when I look back, was a stupid thing to do. But I resisted. Except now everything looks so expensive!
I agree, I think sometimes bloggers definetly feel the pressure to have new outfits etc to show – luckily for me my wardrobe is reasonably large just from years of collecting clothes (all on sale), so it will be a while before I can honestly say that I have “nothing to wear”. However, I think for me, its really important to buy clothes for their quality not quantity now – & I’m not just talking quality of material, I’m talking how valuble they will be in your wardrobe – will you get alot of wear out of it? Cost-per-wear wise is it really a good buy? Will you miss it if you DONT buy it? Hopefully just writing down the stuff I want, and putting a delay in between that and buying it will help me to make good financial decisions about what i REALLY need. Good work for resisting! You may have much better self control than I do- but I’m starting to get better at REALLY thinking about whether an item is a ‘need’ or a ‘want.’ Thanks for your comment! x
love your blog. blog or no blog – i spend way too much on clothes anyway. my sisters too. your new follower 😀
love glamdevils
wow! loving your blog! and this post was amazing!
http://www.aroundlucia.com
http://www.aroundlucia.com
OH MY GOSH these illustrations just made my day!! 1. because you used paint and 2. because you are hilarious!
my hobby is terrible for my saving. i don’t really buy clothes as much as i used to but craft supplies? ug? i’ve gotten better though and every other sunday on my blog i do a sunday sin – and give something up for two weeks – last week it was buying useless craft supplies and i did really well! so i guess my blog is a good motivator in that way? lol
I like that idea – giving up something for two weeks. May have to try it! Haha, I didn’t know how to illustrate this post so I was like – okay, let’s just go old school and use a bit of Paint 😉
This post made me laugh so me! Such a good post as it is something that most of us struggle with. I have set up an amount of money each month to go into my savings account, to save up for driving lessons (as I still haven’t learnt). I’d recommend it, as it is a back up if you ever need cash in an emergency and accumulates really quickly if you put a decent amount in a month, so you could save for a big treat like a city break, holiday or big spending spree.
Thanks for your post too, Hollie X
I am the same way! I always try to justify things to myself. But right now I’m being very good at not spending because I have a goal in mind…I want to splurge in the net-a-porter sale…haha….but then I’ll be spending a LOT of money
http://www.closet-fashionista.com/
Well, I think that even if you’re spending a fair bit of money, as long as you really really love and want the items you’re spending on, and will value them in your closet for ages – its okay. Better than buying cheaper things you’ll just be over in a few months! 🙂 Have you sussed out your net-a-porter sale buys? haha x
I’ve been having a really hard time myself. Damn the pretty things! Your first graphic says it all, so funny! Love it!
X
BD
Oh gosh I feel like you just voiced the thoughts in my head with this article. And I agree – bloggin is a very mutally enabling hobby that doesn’t help with budgeting! I go through phases where I stay away from the mall and online shops…and even stop perusing blogs for a bit because it gets too tempting!
I find that thrifting is a fun alternative – it becomes kind of like an adventure to see what treasure I can dig up!
haha, I must say, I LOVE this post. It’s hilarious. Your drawings are very entertaining! 😉
I also find that blogging makes it harder for me not to spend money, because I’m more in-tuned with what’s out there and what’s simply goregous!! Then I convince myself it’s a “must have” … except really, like your drawing says, it’s “shit I don’t need even a little bit” …but it’s always beautiful 😉
Basically I pay cash for everything. And I keep a well edited list of what I plan to add to my wardrobe. I stick to the list. Having a defined aesthetic makes a huge difference for me. I don’t shop for the fun of it or out of boredom – when I go into a store or online it’s to search for and hopefully buy a particular item. The only exception is if I’m with a friend and it becomes a social thing, which can be fun. In that case, if I see nothing on my list, I help the friend shop.
Love your pictures… and your boyfriend’s cute ghetto body 🙂
lucky he doesnt read this blog or I’d be in biiig trouble for drawing his booty into his stick figure 😉 hahaha