spend less money

www.mvelopes.com which is an awesome way to manage money… I’m going to give it a go for a few months and hopefully I can get my ridiculous spending under control….

While I enjoy nice things, I think I am becoming a consuming piglet!!!! I need to rein in so many things… which is directly related to being a better buddhist, living a healthier life, inside and out and spending less money and investing more…

Second Training

Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am committed to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.

This looks like a genius way to manage money!!! I got my credit card bill and despite the several enormous payments I mae last month… my bill is still twice what it was the last month. Sigh. Xmas didn’t help any but I need to rein it in. And I just ordered a photo album for a friend as a Bon Voyage present. I was looking for something nice, $100 maybe… Well, $300+ later from Aspinal of London… iyiyiyi
I have a budget in my head and then by the time I am finished shopping my budget has gone completely out the window. Adding religious money management to New Year’s Resolutions.

With Xmas and dieting (which makes you do things like shop and clean and bake to stay busy) my credit card has had a serious work out. So, I have been spending way more than I usually do which is already too much. Sigh.
I am doing a 90 day “be a better Buddhist” stint which will seriously rein in my spending… Hopefully, after that I can keep up with the good habits.
It’s not that I spend more than I can afford… I do save money, have investments, rrsp’s and lots of insurance. But I have a very lucrative job and am single with no children and few obligations. I should stop living like a rock star and save more, invest more and be debt free!

I think I need to park this goal until the new year.

Lately it is cooking instead of shopping… And so the grocery bills add up. Iyiyiyi… Retail therapy is a curse…

is helpful in not spending money. Can’t eat out, can’t drink, don;t want to go shopping because like a month from now I’ll be 30 pounds thinner… so no point in buying clothes.. although, the Dr. B diet is not cheap either… but still I think I am doing ok on this one…
Although, last week was a really rough week all around and I did indulge in a little “retail therapy” one night after work. A few hundred bucks but still, that’s not part of “the plan”.

And if I follow it, which doesn’t really involve that much sacrifice, just a little bit of discipline, then I will be debt free (except for my motorcycle) by the end of April. And between now and then, that still includes Xmas, a trip to Mexico and $3000 to finish my tattoo, $1200 for the Dr. B diet and still the usual expenses…
I can do this… there’s not much sacrifice, just a little discipline, I just have to keep telling myself that…
And my dog really, really needs a yard.

There are just so many things to spend it on!