Are you getting past due notices on bills you thought you paid? Did you try to take money out of your bank account and you found out it’s overdrawn? Or, did you try to pay for your groceries and found out that your check was rejected and you can’t pay for your groceries for your family? Or maybe, you went to your favorite retail store to purchase an item you thought you could not live without and attempted to charge it to your credit card and you were told your purchase is declined? You probably have the symptoms of spending which is out of control.
You’re trying to figure out what should I do to control my spending. There are some things you may want to consider which include the following:
1) Get a copy of your bank statement to find out about the items which have gone through your account which include; checks, debits, deposits and withdrawals. This will help you to find out where you are in your spending. You’ve gotta start somewhere, so this is a good place to begin.
2) Work on reducing your spending. What do I mean by this? Well, cut out items you want but really don’t need. For instance, consider reducing your shopping if you find yourself in stores on a daily or weekly basis. Just by reducing your shopping you can save yourself lots of money!
3) Consider reducing your entertainment expenses by going out less. Reducing entertainment such as movies, restaurants, coffee houses, concerts, etc…, will save you money in your wallet! It may be tough at first, but you’ll like it in the end, because your money will grow!
4) Write down what you spend in order to keep track of the money you’re spending. This will enable you to determine where you are spending your money. You will be able to make adjustments if you need to.
5) You may want to even consider keeping a weekly or monthly savings log which will give you an idea of the amount of money you are actually saving when you have reduced your expenditures. You will be able to create this log based on you keeping track of the money you are spending. This will reinforce the effort you have made to reduce your spending my giving you information on the amount of money you are actually keeping in your bank account. Indeed this is positive feedback for you to keep striving to keep your expenditures down and in check.
See you really can work on your spending to keep you money from being eaten if you set your mind to it! You’ve just got to start working on it and you will accomplish gaining control over your finances. It just takes work, but you can do it, just get started!