Eighteen and Counting

Hard to believe that the journey has crested the halfway hill and is gaining momentum. While I did make a brief stop at the grocery store ($2.10 for animal crackers for a snack for our weekend ritual of a drink and popcorn, except I have been expressly forbidden from having popcorn due to the cracked tooth that I now possess and our dog prefers animal crackers). Running total is $87.63 and a large credit card debt payment of well in excess of $125 dollars is looking more and more like a reality. A new month is underway and the adjustment to the budget is already in place.

Credit card debt is the issue here and now that it has only been 19 days, a habit has started to ingrain itself into a way of life. This was evident when we stopped at the store and instead of blindly grabbing the "best" or name brand snack (that would have cost easily twice as much), the prices were quickly computed and the choice was made not on the short term pleasure that would have been from the more expensive cookies or snack cracker, the choice was made on cost per serving. It is amazing at how easily the choice was made. One of the contributing factors was one of the important grocery savings tips (pointed out at Dolans):

Don't Shop on an Empty Stomach!!!

I am sure that you have heard this at some point in your life, but it is true. You tend to end up with more items than you originally intended in your cart, You spend more, and you end up further from your goal of having more money in your account. The grocery store counts on the extra income (they strategically place items where you will be most apt to purchase them, like the checkout line) that they will get from you for purchasing impulse items. These have a higher profit margin, but you don't think about it because they are usually a dollar or two (or less), but THOSE DOLLARS ADD UP!!

Unfortunately we don't always plan our spending so we fall victim to marketing and impulse. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Harsh, but true. If you are to get control of finances, pay off your credit cards, and begin to enjoy the relief of pressure of ever-mounting bills, you should plan a budget, but also plan your expenses, including when to shop for things.

Have a great weekend and here is to eliminating your credit card debt.