Save money

Should I be worried that, according to the 43T sidebar, this goal takes an average 4368 years to achieve?

Better start saving for an “IOU” inscripted headstone…

...done with paying off my credit card. I’m forcing myself (not without wincing) to pay £100 on it every time I get paid which doesn’t leave me with too much spare cash once all my bills are paid but I know it’s worth it in the long run to rid myself of the debt before thinking of saving for anything else. My student loan bills will soon be available to access online which will make it much easier for me to manage payments and keep track of the total left to pay. Spending-wise, I’ve been doing well but have spent more than I intended in the last month but at least most purchases relate to achieving my goals on here like new trainers to work-out in, healthy stuff for my detox etc.

As long as I make sure I get the most out of my purchases and actually take the steps I need to achieve my goals then that spending can be seen as an investment.

I’m doing quite well with this so far. More debt is biting the dust, less money-moths are biting holes in my meagre earnings. Even over Christmas, I tapped into my inner Scrooge and honourably endeavoured to be far less generous than usual…why, if I’d known a Tiny Tim, I might have thrashed him.

As for the coming year, 2009 will challenge me to continue making progress and I intend to filter out some unnecessary expenses like the subscriptions to magazines I rarely find time to read and to try being more conscious about the amount I spend on essentials like energy, travel and food. It would be nice, just once, not to have my general outlook solely determined by my proximity in time to payday.

...is being reminded by letter that 4 years ago (in an uncharacteristically forward-thinking mood) you bought a mini ISA you completely forgot about and that now needs reactivating. As a result, though I haven’t paid anything extra into it over the years, I’m not quite as penniless as I thought. Hooray!

(Something tells me I wouldn’t fare well as a bank manager).