obsession
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| Mon, 07-11-2005 - 8:21am |
Hi,
I'm wondering if anyone here does what I do. I check my account at least 3 or 4 times a day, online, to see if there were any changes. I get my bank-statements once a week, sometimes twice a week and do tripple bookkeeping where I write down all the expenses and the bank-statements: 2 Excell-files, one for where I figure out how much money we may need this month and how much we actually spent. One Quicken-file where I keep track of all our debt and everything that comes in and goes out, which again is split up in several quicken-accounts for each individual debt (like housepayments, credit card, bank-account etc.) and one Excell-file where I track my husband's debt in the States and how much longer it will take us till it is paid of. I check those at least once a day as well, as if I could change anything. I think it is an obsession but I can't control constantly thinking about our debts and hoping that maybe with this statement the debt may have gone down some and how much longer we need to pay on all of it and and and... I think I am driving myself nuts doing it, but I can't stop thinking about how bad we are into it and it doesn't really help the overall situation, when I do that.
Sushi

Hello,
I sypathize with you. I check our finances once a day. I like to stay in touch, drives my hubby crazy. I know what hes spent before he gets home. But I have found that not too much changes throughout the day so checking several times is not worth the time.
On the other hand I think its important for you to be somewhat focused or obsessed on debt repayment. It will keep you on target to pay off those debts faster. Find a happy medium and stick with it, pick 30 minutes a day and have that be your budget/finance alotted time. I personnally do it in the AM, so I don't think about it at night.
Good Luck, and if you are not already, start tracking your snowflakes. Its a great incentive for staying on track.
Shannon
Shannon
I think that there is a line between being focused and being obsessed.
All my best,
Danni
thanks Shannon, so you don't think its too bad what I'm doing. that's a relief. Anyway, I have looked at the snowflakes postings today and came to the conclusion that I already am somewhat doing that. I upped my credit card payments by 20 Euros a month to at least get it going down again (I am 1100 euros over my limit). So now it goes down 6.71 a month. I know it is not much, but for now it is all I can afford. And I have a piggy bank that I have gotten from my mom, where I put all the change in. when it is full I usually put it into savings. But the other month I had to get all that I had in savings (a whopping 37 euros :( ) out to pay for food. Maybe this time, when it is full, I put it toward paying a bill... or getting my overdraft down... either way, I put it to use. :) I'll save, when I am financially a little more stable and able to put some of the money away... hopefully in 18 months. I can't wait, I'm so excited about it.
Sushi
I call the autobank line every morning to check which deposits and withdrawls have posted to my account.
I also know the closing dates of each of my loans/debts so the very morning after that I call to see what the new balance and payment due is. I then update my spreadsheet of "payments due". A couple of times a month I mull it over and see if there are any changes or errors anywhere.
I think being aware helps one stay on track and focused.
Tamara
Ha Ha, that is so funny, I check mine once a day and I know what hubby has spent before he gets home too and it drive him nuts too!!!! But it keeps him on his toes!
shannon
wow, it feels good to be "normal" after all... we went shopping today, grocery shopping for this week and I spent a whopping 6 Euros. Okay, we had 2 euros worth of recycable bottles with us, that helped :). We bought a lot of noodles and I cookes a stirfry tonight, which we have left-overs for lunch tomorrow. Hubby gets half and I get half. Actually I wanted to stay on Atkins, but we can't afford it anymore... that kind of bums me out, but all that meat gets too expensive. Until we are doing better financially we are going to live on noodles and that's that. After that, I go back to low-carbing it. (that was kind of off-topic, sorry about that, but i had to get rid of that one).
Sushi
Sushi,
I have one suggestion for your Atkins wish. . . I just started cooking with beans, and it's been good for us. .. in terms of health, and on our budget. Beans have some protein, and they make you feel full fast. They're also SUPER cheap. . . very comparable to noodles, especially when you buy dry beans and cook them into crockpot recipes. Just a thought. Good luck.
~Denice
I check everything when I expect it to change.