Curbing Consumerism Club: 2009 Edition Part B

[Allisonfaye]

Originally Posted by Nola

Alison, I´ll answer your q´s here: Does she have a comfort object? No, she doesn´t really even have a favorite toy so I don´t know how to go about that one. How long has she been screaming? I´ve tried with extreme discomfort to let her scream it out as some recommend, she screams 15 mins and it doesn´t do any good. That´s usually when I go in as I can´t take it anymore. Was she falling asleep on her own before? Yes. She seems to have upper teeth coming in but all the books say it only takes about 2 days for the nasty part, but it´s been days and days.

Send you a PM so as not to go OT.

[Allisonfaye]

Twiggers: I hope you get the rent. That stress is awful.

[sammieee]

Quick recap...

Have always been responsible with my budget/paychecks, until I met my current boyfriend. I stop budgeting and start to spend, spend, spend. I find TPF. Decide I *NEED* a LV because it seemed like girls my age were constantly buying them. I was a sophomore in college when my spending spree started.

I have just graduated and am hoping to get accepted into a masters program. This goal of mine made me take a hard look at what I had been wasting my money on...and the end result was about $20k in cc debt. Ridiculous for someone my age, it has taken me about 1.5 years to pay off almost all the cc debt.

Am *so* close to paying it all off, but an unexpected dental bill will be headed my way shortly and now I will have to divert money to the bill or use my emergency fund money to avoid having my debt paid off slower. The bill from my dentist will be more than the current cc debt I have to pay off (which is crazy).

For any college students who are reading this and are too afraid to post their curbing consumerism attempts, I can promise you that there are many, many more students who are in your classrooms that have just as much debt or more than you! But, the good thing is that it IS possible to get yourself out of it, it just takes time and patience to remember that you got yourself into your mess...and that you CAN get yourself out :)

[plain jane doe]

Wow, that thread went fast.

Me:
While not in debt, for the first five or so years I was out of school, I spent money shopping as fast as I could make it. So it's really been less than a year that I've had budgets and savings goals, and I'm just trying to stay on the wagon -- I already skipped saving a couple of months

[VanessaJean]

I am going into my 4th year of university and started occuring debt my first year when I fell in love with LV, Chanel and Balenciaga. I have since sold most of my bags but made a few purchases and have about 6K in cc debt right now. That's way too much since I have to start paying off my student loans in a year.

I am getting married soon so any spare money is going to that. I haven't been able to make as big a dent in my debt as I would have liked this summer. I am better with spending though!

[Nola]

I´ll run my idea past you ladies; As some of you know my main problem is internet shopping (or mainly obsessively looking, sometimes buying) and I was thinking.. what if I give my cc to my hubby to hold and clear my paypal etc where the cc number is. Plus I heard there´s a way to put a lock on some websites on the comp. so if I asked hubby to do that without telling me how, I wouldn´t have access to those sites.

What do you guys think, will this cold turkey thing cure me?

[Loganz]

Originally Posted by Nola

I´ll run my idea past you ladies; As some of you know my main problem is internet shopping (or mainly obsessively looking, sometimes buying) and I was thinking.. what if I give my cc to my hubby to hold and clear my paypal etc where the cc number is. Plus I heard there´s a way to put a lock on some websites on the comp. so if I asked hubby to do that without telling me how, I wouldn´t have access to those sites. What do you guys think, will this cold turkey thing cure me?

YES - DO THIS!! As, I stated in the last thread, and this one - I gave my CC's to my DH and I have spent nothing - and looked at very little online since it is futile to do so. I can't spend so I find that I don't look.

If you can't do it on willpower alone then giving the CC's to the hubby WILL work. It has worked for me.

[Allisonfaye]

Nola: I have a question for you. Who handles the $$ in your house? Who pays the bills and such? Taking that over has really helped me curb my spending because I used to just buy and deal with teh consequences later but now that I know I am running out of money, I wait til the next credit card cycle to buy.

[dr. twiggers]

Rent check arrived!!!!! YAY!

Hubby will be done work on Friday, but owner is paying him the full month commission (since month ends Monday it is really only fair). DH has actually been put into contact with company down here in Ft. Lauderdale....there is a possibility that he'll get a job. We'll see what happens :-)

Anyways...the good news is that he'll be here Monday night!!!

[Odette]

I was in and out of the last thread but my situation has changed dramatically in the last 4 weeks or so.

My husband asked for a divorce so I am currently in the midst of finding a new apartment and figuring out my finances to live on my own. We're going to keep the house and make payments since we are upside down and can't sell without ruining our credit.

I know I'll be fine and thankfully I only have about $3500 of my own credit card debt to worry about. I have a lot of student loans but I'm in the process of consolidating to have one lower payment each month that I can pay for per my budget.

[Loganz]

Odette - I am sorry that this happened. I hope the stress of keeping the house is manageable. Do you have a strong support system at home? We are here to help you curb the comsumerism appetite whenever you need it. Take care of yourself - and check in here often!

Twiggers - Great news on the check - and on your hubby's impending arrival!

[Allisonfaye]

Odette: I am sorry. Please join us more often.

Twiggers: Great news on both the rent and the job!

Not much going on here. We have been spending a lot lately and we took my daughter to NM for lunch today because I had a free lunch coupon and my husband bought a pricey pair of shoes which was fine because he buys shoes like every two years because he is so picky and he found a pair that he really loved. But I didn't budget for it. I will just have to dip into savings if I have to.

[dr. twiggers]

Odette: I'm so sorry to hear about your divorce!!!

[juneping]

odette: oh i am sorry about your divorce.

twiggers: oh boy...i was just thinking "not again". that's good you got the check. :)

i overspent this month..(i mentioned in the last thread)...hanging in here right now. i just felt spending is like a gate, once its open..it's hard to stop. but my skin care stuff for facial (i do it at home) are running out...i need refill which is about 300. i am thinking how to do this. i am actually shamefully thinking to ask my mom to buy some for me.

[nauticalstar]

Originally Posted by juneping

odette: oh i am sorry about your divorce. twiggers: oh boy...i was just thinking "not again". that's good you got the check. :) i overspent this month..(i mentioned in the last thread)...hanging in here right now. i just felt spending is like a gate, once its open..it's hard to stop. but my skin care stuff for facial (i do it at home) are running out...i need refill which is about 300. i am thinking how to do this. i am actually shamefully thinking to ask my mom to buy some for me.

This is exactly how I feel- I either spend nothing or can't stop...