With a new year comes goals, habits, and trying new things. One thing I do which I want to work on or control would be budgeting. But I realize I can’t go it alone! So here’s where Grouvee can help.
I’m not a minimalist, in fact I’m a maximalist and I like stuff…a lot of stuff. Some things I get for free, find at thrift stores for a few bucks, or pay a premium for like retro games, magic cards, and pokemon.
I would like to spend less and/or go a few weeks with only spending money on essentials (gas so I can keep my job, food, etc you know what essentials are lol)
Anyone else want to take the challenge with? I like the free games thread and would also like to hear tips from people who are trying to spend less on hobby stuff.
Years ago I set up a system where I jotted down anything I “accomplished” in a list, be it something big or just as simple as completing chores or exercising. For every 10 accomplishments, I let myself buy something nice. It actually did help to slow my spending down a little bit. I fell out of doing it, but I may pick it back up this year, though mostly to motivate myself to exercise.
I maintain a budgeting spreadsheet with my expenses, expense categories and expenditures. Things like gaming come under my entertainment budget, so I maintain my gaming spending within that category. I don’t have a specific hobby category, but I could add a line to the existing budget. This makes it relatively easy to track my spending, pay for essentials, pay for entertainment and still save.
We use Personal Capital or whatever the new name is, Empower maybe.
I also have a spreadsheet to track hobby spending and we’re still able to save but there are some goals we have: have a new deck built and save for cars.
Maybe Im making my situation into a problem when its really not. I was raised to basically fear spending money (my Dad is an extreme cheapskate). So if I buy something, no matter how much I like it, I feel bad and guilty.
You can do what I do- not pay attention to it until you are almost overdrawn so then you panic and spend two months spending next to nothing on everything making yourself and your family miserable and when that is over don’t learn your lesson and go back to how you were acting before.