I have to confess something. Lately my self control has been out the window. I’ve been spending too much on things I don’t really need. I have been eating more than I should and am 20 pounds overweight. And you know something that’s just crazy? I’ve found myself having some anxiety about money and my weight. You’d think the anxiety would drive better behavior but it is actually having the opposite effect.
So what am I doing about it? Well, a couple things. We are taking a much more conscious approach to our money. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that our economy is damn near in a free fall. The markets are nervous and frankly I think we are already in a recession. Yeah, I know it takes two consecutive quarters of negative growth but I think we’ll see that soon enough. With all the negative things happening in the economy I’m just hoping we don’t end up seeing worse than a recession. Okay, now you know my frame of mind. I’m just another nervous consumer/saver. We are going to be one of those households that makes it worse by saving more and spending less!
The other thing I’m doing personally is getting the weight under control. I’ve decided to start dropping weight. I’m only down about three pounds but that’s over 10% of the weight I need to lose. I’m using the Weight Watcher approach and am counting all the food I am consuming. I’ve always had the best luck with that. If I find I’m not following it tight enough I may even go join officially and sit in the meetings to force myself to do better.
It’s really kind of amazing how I can have such good control over spending (normally) and not be able to use that same skill set to manage my diet and overall health. You’d think that it would be an easy jump from managing finances successfully to managing your diet. It’s not, at least not for me.
On a completely unrelated note, my wife was officially hired by her company after over a year of being a contract employee. That means matching 401k, vacation, sick leave, holidays and a little more stability. Needless to say we are pretty excited about that!
Is it possible you’re maybe a little depressed or upset about something?
I know that lately, I’ve been wanting to eat out more. It’s my weakness in times of stress–I’m bummed right now about all our credit card debt ($50K or so–$44K of which is business-related and will HOPEFULLY be gone soon), so I’ve been craving lunch, lattes, and dinners out on a daily basis. I’ll indulge that in a *disciplined* fashion, as in, I will grant myself one meal out a day and even a latte if I’ve made significant progress on our projects the day before. I still get to placate my cravings but force myself to make strides toward correcting our situation at the same time.
I don’t think I’m depressed but I’ve never handled stress all that well. I’m actually feeling quite in control, especially on eating better. I’m down about three pounds for the week and it’s amazing how much that makes a difference in my overall outlook.
I guess it just means your reasons for over-spending are not the same as your reasons for over-eating. Good luck with getting back on track.
I totally hear you! I’ve been frugally saving and paying off student loans for the past four months and BAM! I am hit with the urge to splurge. A part of it is probably contained urges over the past four months, and another is probably stress. I used to shop whenever I was stressed about school or family, and I kept a handle on it since I started working. I did cut my school loans by 60% already and the 0 debt is coming soon, but these past two weeks were hard. I went to the mall with friends and found some fabulous deals. I went out to eat with coworkers. I drove longer distances to meet friends, so spent more on gas. It’s tough, but both you and I can get back into track. I’m also looking to lose about 10-15 pounds. I refuse to join the gym (more unnecessary costs), but focusing on my motivation and conscious effort to believe I can do it and I CAN make the better choice about foods and physical activity. Good luck to you! =)
First off, congrats to your wife, that’s awesome!
My self control is similiar to yours. My girlfriend and I loved to eat out but found it was killing not only my wallet but my figure also! All it took was a little self discipline and it went away :)
Don’t beat yourself up. What happened in the past is what we did, what we do now, is what we are (deep eh?).
You might be creating a bit of a vicious circle, you do something, you don’t like it, you get down on yourself, and then you do it again..
That’s the way I get into these kind of funks too!
–C8j
If losing weight was as easy as paying off debt, I’d be a swim wear model! But, alas, losing weight is very, very hard, at least for me! :)
As for the economy, I’m wondering if NOW might be the time to double-down for a super boom, just around the corner? Optimism, baby!
Rock on,
NCN
You need Leo’s blog
http://zenhabits.net/
I am not much for rah-rah motivational stuff, but this guy is you and me.
Weight watchers is great and really works, if you use the basic principles you will be fine!
I totally am in the same spot right now. I was doing really good and then all of a sudden I just want to spend, spend, spend.
Of course, I am always eating, eating, eating.
Good luck with the weight loss!
Hey Hazzard,
I’m in the process of losing weight. OMG..
Losing weight is exactly the same as paying off debt. You’ve got to get food undercontrol, compared with getting spending under control.
The first three weeks of me getting off of sugar and junk food was crazy. I’ve lost 21 pounds in the last 4 weeks.
Spending is the same. People buy needless junk and put it on their credit cards. That’s the equivalent of putting on weight financially.
I know exactly what you are talking about the overspending. I have felt like that lately and am turning things around. I was fortunate that my work gave us a pretty cheap rate for a local community center so I have been going to the gym every morning.
Manage the spending that should help
http://financialzip.com/blog
The priceless tool for every debt and finance related problem is not miles aways, but it lies just within you.. its your attitude!
You are definitely right Hazzard, self control is needed to help us get out of debt and too much spending. Self discipline and integrity is important to help us avoid from the perils of debts.
Get Debt Free