Headed out for a biz trip today. I'm dividing the upcoming spending into two categories: expected expenses and possible spending threats. Awareness is key!
EXPECTED:
Need to pay for meals, including taking friends out to dinner to celebrate their engagement.
Travel expenses (trains, gas, subway fare)
Clothing--I need a couple of things for my work wardrobe (black pants, winter shoes), if I can find what I need at a good price.
POSSIBLE THREATS
Being in NYC means shopping opportunities galore. I was talking to Greg Daugherty recently, a Consumer Reports money analyst, and he was saying the best way to save: Stay out of stores!
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5 comments:
Stay out of the stores is the best advice. My stay-at-home wife often suffers "cabin fever" when she is chasing the children. I have to balance her sanity against the checkbook very often. Every time she leaves the house, we take some type of financial hit. We are looking to do more home based hobbies, take walks around the community pond, and hit the parks more frequently. These dark days of 42% loss in my 401k account requires creativity, stamina, and innovation.
On a side note, you, MP, need to get a worksheet of wants, needs, and savings to track your financial transactions. I can share mine with you. E-mail me at alan_isham@yahoo.com and I will reply with the worksheet that I have been using for two years. It is a hybrid of others mentioned in other financial blogs. Note: it will be blank of course : )
You have a game plan, and I know you're strong enough to stick with it. As you said, "Awareness is key!"
I do like Totallyisham's idea of a worksheet. I'm sure it has been mentioned with the WIR crowd before.
Keep up the good work, MP! I'm a weekly subscriber to your MSN column and look forward to reading your advice here as well.
Thanks, guys. I'm curious about that worksheet. Totallyisham, what if you post it here? Or, if I get it, can I post it? I'll email you, too....
Thanks, you guys. I'm curious about the worksheet. Maybe once I get it from you, Totally, I can post it here?
I have no issues with you posting the worksheet here. I got the template from Get Rich Slowly's blog and have been improving it for my own needs. By adopting financial responsibility, we carved out about $1,500 a month of spending. We matured to a think first, buy second approach vs. buy it now and worry about it in 28 days when the statement comes.
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