Wow, it’s been about six months since I blogged. And that is just so sad! I love to write but I just don’t make it a priority. I’ve actually started likening myself to Dug from UP!. I’m always chasing after something new. 😂
But I’ve decided to have a No Spend 2020*. Yes, that asterisk will be explained. 😁 And I’d like to keep a record of the trials and tribulations of a born spender. But this is also ironic… as even though I can justify any purchase, I am also a great budgeter and always have enough money saved and tucked away for our bills.
But I should never have a credit card… which we currently have. 🤦♀️ This needs to be paid off ASAP so we can start to save for our own home which is the only thing Simon and I REALLY want. Even though we spend our money in dribs and drabs on things that ultimately won’t help us to achieve our goal; they literally stop us from getting there. But with the high cost of property in Australia, sometimes it’s hard to believe you’ll ever get there so you comfort yourself with lovely things now. It’s a mental battle.
Credit cards have pretty much been the reason I haven’t purchased my own home before now. Someone with poor impulse control SHOULD NEVER have a credit card. I got one in my early twenties because you “need to build up your credit” and overspent on it. Eventually in my late 20s I was able to pay them all off and cancel them (yes, I said “them”). Until both Simon’s and my computers broke down at pretty much the same time. And we only had cash money to buy one new computer. And in hindsight, we could have purchased just one and shared it until we could afford another, but no, I got the laptop I’m writing this on with the cash, and he got a fancy high powered gaming computer on 60 months interest-free. Which involved getting a credit card. You can see where this is going, right? 🤦♀️
Needless to say, we racked up purchases on the plastic. To help with paying it off, we applied for a 0% transfer with another provider promising not to add any more charges to it. Womp womp. Like that happened. Since then it’s boomeranged up and down. And Little Miss Justify AnythingTM just kept charging that card. Well no more!
In 2020, the card’s details are being deleted from my browser (already done – literally after typing ‘browser’), my PayPal and my AfterPay accounts. The physical card is either being hidden or shredded after consultation with Si.
And frivolous spending will be NO MOAR!
In 2020 I will only be making purchases that are REQUIRED. As in things that are consumable (food, toiletries, make up etc), but only when they run out, and clothing/linens/technology as they wear out or break. And these purchases are to be made in cash only where possible, otherwise with my debit card if and when I have the cash saved to purchase them. So as you can probably gather, 2020 is going to be a year of necessities only (for me anyway, Simon gets a small amount of what we call ‘pocket money’ every month that he is free to spend at his discretion).
Most of my pastimes are crafting related, and I have enough yarn to see me through armageddon. I have fabric out the wazoo and other bits and pieces like copious amounts of fibre for spinning and beads for bead weaving and thread for cross-stitching. I will not want for lack of materials. However, if I run out of something, like a particular thread colour required for a cross-stitch project or fishing wire for bead weaving or thread for sewing, I am allowed to replace it. Just no extras finding their way in.
And bear in mind this is for personal purchases. If I need to purchase things for my business then I am free to, but this is also paid for from my business finances. My only other caveat is that I can use my shop yarn for new projects; just no yarn from outside sources. I can run double duty for taking yarn from my shop, as I can account for it as marketing costs.
So there you have it. I have no idea how hard or easy I am going to find this process. All I know is that I need to curb the money I’m currently spending as most of it is coming off plastic, not from cash.
And I want more than anything to have my own little house to spend the rest of my life in and tend to lovingly. This is what matters. ❤️
My Muddlings 