New habits
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New habits
| Fri, 01-21-2005 - 12:12am |
Has your debt journey inspired new habits for you? Have you dropped an old bad habit, picked up a new good habit? Is there some small thing you have been doing (or not doing anymore) that has made even a small positive difference in your debt balances, bill amounts, or savings amounts...or even in your self-esteem?
Please share! Your story may inspire others here!
Thanks in advance! Littlesbigs

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I allow myself one day a week to eat out. Fast food counts as eating out, so I make sure I really want that greasy burger before I go through the drive through lane, or do I want the fabulous Mexican food at my favorite cheap Mexican resturant.
DH now takes his lunch to work every day (out of convience not to save money--he only has 15 to 30 minutes for lunch). I pack it for him, that way he doesn't have the I forgot to pack it or I forgot to make it excuse.
I keep frozen hamburger patties and chicken nuggets and tater tots or fries in my freezer. That way, when the kids want a "fast-food" lunch, I have every thing I need.
I make double batches of things, when I make dinner. I freeze part of it and when I just don't feel like cooking, in the microwave it goes.
I keep boxes of cheap mac-n-cheese in my pantry. I keep frozen pizzas in the freezer, that way when I really don't feel like cooking I still have something I can pull out.
I research online coupons (just google what ever company I am about to purchase something from). I have gotten 20% off of entire orders and I have gotten free shipping codes.
But, the best new habit I have is tracking my spending on an excel spreadsheet. It is the Dave Ramsey envelope method, only in spreadsheet form. I know me. If I had cash lying around it would all get spent. But with the spreadsheet I can keep up and not be as tempted.
Another great new habit is I locked my cc in a box, and put it on the top shelf of my closet. Now to buy something on that cc, I have to get a ladder, find the keys, insert the key, find the cc among the wills, social security cards, birth certificates, etc, and still go to the store. That way, I have time to think about a purchase before I buy it.
It really helps to have that 5 to 10 minutes of think time.
Kellie
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