tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4654303930129608743.post5736906148492376880..comments2024-03-22T15:04:41.999-05:00Comments on Table for One: The End of Budgeting?Solitary Diner (Also Known as The Frugalish Physician)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01239189582752445700noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4654303930129608743.post-22251619251258224202016-08-11T16:51:52.869-05:002016-08-11T16:51:52.869-05:00This post from Ask A Manager reminded me of your p...This post from Ask A Manager reminded me of your posts about budgeting. You might enjoy reading it: http://www.askamanager.org/2016/08/interview-with-a-budget-and-money-coach.html<br /><br />So glad I'm not the only one who has happy socks!<br /><br />Kudos to you for all the hard work, you're doing brilliantly. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4654303930129608743.post-89183885741958838392016-08-08T16:28:59.224-05:002016-08-08T16:28:59.224-05:00I don't *do* budgets - I've tried a bunch ...I don't *do* budgets - I've tried a bunch of times, and just lose interest and don't keep it up.<br /><br />So what seems to work for me, mostly, is to set up online bank accounts for all of my obligations and savings goals - I have one for vacation fund, one for property taxes, etc. I have automatic transfers done right around paydays to pull the allocated amounts from my checking account, where my paycheck is deposited, and into the separate accounts.<br /><br />Whatever is left, is to cover groceries, utilities and everything else - I can spend it on whatever I want, without guilt.<br /><br />Admittedly, this worked...better, when I was using my debit card for all my transactions, as I would keep a general track of my balance and if it dipped too low, I would automatically course correct. But with the rash of retailers having data breaches, I switched to using my credit card for everything - which means that when the bill comes due, I'm not always as on target as I should be - I don't have that hard limit that my account balance was giving me :D<br />spiffikinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06033527263944450474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4654303930129608743.post-83430109551299620342016-08-08T09:19:52.649-05:002016-08-08T09:19:52.649-05:00I am not a frugal person, and I'm given to jus...I am not a frugal person, and I'm given to just the sort of impulsive spending you describe. I grew up pretty poor, and the minute I had my line of credit, I adjusted my spending habits accordingly. I often wish I could go back and fix that.<br /><br />When I notice that I've been spending a lot, I'll designate a week or a month as a 'no-buy' period. I'll write in my planner 'no pleasure purchases' as a goal for the week. I find this helps it stick in my brain that I'm not going to be spending freely during this period of time, and I actually end up saving quite a lot of money. At the very least, it means that I'll have to push my purchases to a later point in time, and doing so often gives me the opportunity to realise that I don't really care about those particular purchases anyway.<br /><br />The other major change I've made that has had a surprising impact on my frugality is riding my bike everywhere. Not only am I saving on gas (a surprising amount, too! Before yesterday, the last time I purchased gas was in early June!), but I'm also not inclined to buy things because I know I'll be carrying them home on my back. This doesn't do much to curb my online purchases, but it does make me less likely to pick up impulse items at the grocery store or on my way home from work or the gym.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4654303930129608743.post-15186718001399718052016-08-08T06:53:25.970-05:002016-08-08T06:53:25.970-05:00It's hard for me to know how easy it is for yo...It's hard for me to know how easy it is for you to fall down the consumerism rabbithole again, but it sounds like you have learned some good habits. What about loosely keeping a budget - no line items, but just a "I have this to spend each month" and have only that in an account and it's easy to keep an eye on that. If you find yourself maxing it out, then go back and do a more detailed analysis to see where you're overspending.<br /><br />The hope would be, I think, that you would internalize frugality. So instead of buying every book you want and going out regularly, you sort of intuitively know - ok, I can buy two full-price books per month or the equivalent at discount, and go out about three times per month at a mid-range restaurant. Special occasions can allow you to break the rules but only consciously - making the decision to overspend for a good reason. <br /><br />I've always been frugal and that sort of thinking helps me. Lately I've been stressed about money because I had to buy a lot of things for hosting a bunch of people and some travel. I've had to accept that money will be tight but having people I love come to visit from Australia makes it worth it as well as all the costs associated with their visit. I'll feel better in a few months.<br /><br />But 2/3 - wow! That's very impressive. NOLAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05572754078356812922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4654303930129608743.post-75107006607657732132016-08-07T22:07:33.873-05:002016-08-07T22:07:33.873-05:00Why not increase you spending budget? Instead of s...Why not increase you spending budget? Instead of saving 2/3 of what you earn, save 3/5 or 5/8. Give yourself permission to spend a little bit more, but stay within the new budget. Set the amount of savings so you are still putting away a good bit but you don't feel deprived all the timePortiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08909444191769056637noreply@blogger.com