As some may remember, I embarked on another Low/No Buy journey at the beginning of the year, with varied success. Going strong in January and parts of February, I fell back into old habits — buying a ton of books — in late February and early March, in part because of being stressed out about the Russian invasion and war in Ukraine. Yeah, I know, great excuse…
Oh the emotions
As I’ve said before I’m an emotional shopper (and I’m also an emotional reader, but that’s a different story), so one way to improve my mood and give me a sense of security in (seemingly) uncertain times is distracting myself with getting new stuff. Books work like a charm, usually, as does looking for certain fashion items, like finding the perfect pair of dungarees, jeans, Vans… which means that I look for just one item for hours or days on end. Ending up in a lovely combination of ADHD hyperfocus and decision fatigue, it’s the perfect distraction.
My 2020 Low Buy helped to improve my emotional shopping habits and most of the time I’m doing fine (except for the savings part, which is the main reason for my renewed Low Buy 2022). Alas, I’m not perfect and when old white men again and again decide to follow every brain fart they ever had and further ruin our planet, our present and future, as well as the lives of millions of innocent people, one sometimes needs to compensate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Following this came the annual “pimp our balcony” session in April, which was part DIY — I sewed some pillowcases—and part ‘go buy’ for the plants and a cozy rug. I make sure that we get perennial plants and herbs but this doesn’t always work out (meaning sometimes I or the weather kill them). I love our new little green paradise and it was more than worth the cost. Still, all in all, so far I wouldn’t call it a ‘satisfactory Low Buy’.
I also returned to the LOW Buy concept, because a NO Buy without even a book budget only sets me up for failure. My primary incentive is saving some more money. Not to buy anything in particular — car, house, or something like that — but to have a sort of personal financial safety net ‘just in case.’ This means that I can afford to buy books for €50 per month. It makes things easier and I have no reason to be so hard on myself — I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone (except myself). And now back to the main issue 🙂
Getting back on track
When May came around, I felt underwhelmed by my performance and looking for new ways to get back on track. Discussing my problems with a friend who also wants to save some money, we came up with a solution that our grandmas would be proud of: a weekly budget in cash.
Sounds easy? It is easy. And sometimes the simplest ideas turn out to be the best.
Ditch the card game
Remember how during the Pandemic lots of stores preferred card payment (also Apple pay and the likes) to cash for hygienic reasons? So we got even more used to just putting our cards or phones out there to pay for even the smallest amounts, not only because it was more hygienic and preferred, but because it’s just so convenient? And so easy? And so fast? And isn’t there talk about getting rid of cash money for good? So we’re moving towards a cashless, convenient future?
Well, hold your horses because if you want to stick to a budget and are not good at recording every negligible sum you spend, this might be not the best of ways to handle your money. Take it from an expert — me — that paying everything cashless can make it difficult to reach your savings goal.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be a party pooper by telling you to go back to the 1950s. Some people are great at handling their spending no matter HOW they pay — they can juggle three credit and/or bank cards and will never lose track of where their money goes.
My ADHD fuzzybrain, however, is not. Though I use a spending tracker (when I remember to use it) and I regularly check my bank account (YAY for online banking) I’m still not on top of my game. When saving, I usually put too much money in my savings account, forgetting about a maintenance bill that is due or a standing order that only comes up every other month so I end up withdrawing some money again a few days or weeks later to pay said bill. Maybe it’s just my fuzzy (ADHD) brain, but this is not the way to go for me. Besides, I spend too much, even if it’s just on groceries and things I need (*cough* books *cough*).
Why is this still happening? Well, I guess because I don’t SEE how much I spend. That’s why I decided to change my way of spending. How, you ask? By going back to good old cash 🙂
Only paying cash or being my grandma’s kid
I grew up at my grandparents’ and I learned quite a few things from them that might not be ‘en vogue’ today. Like ironing socks and underwear or not caring about every new fad society creates. Obviously, I forgot quite a few things as we all do when we grow up, and some things I will never reintroduce in this precious life of mine (like ironing in general and socks or underwear in particular). But when it comes to budgeting and handling money, I guess they were right. I don’t need a fancy-schmancy (and costly) budgeting app or books to tell me that going back to paying cash will probably help me save some money. I got it all in me, thanks to gramps and gran.
Though paying cash alone doesn’t do the trick, since I can withdraw some money at every corner. It’s the combination of giving yourself a weekly or monthly budget—withdrawing the amount and not a cent more—and then sticking to it (more or less). So far it works, and we’ll see if I can keep my initial excitement and ambition up.
Still, life happens.
Using my bank card to treat myself to three Starbucks chai lattes (emotional spending at its best, though at least I always bring my own cup), some replacements, gifts, and repair work, I tracked these expenses and so kept on top of my game. I also got myself three books that I paid cashless (and tracked) because I’m not myself without a book budget. Everything else I paid in cash and stuck to my budget.
The way to go?
It’s mid-June now and so far I’m quite happy with my change of tactics to achieve my savings goal. I will continue budgeting and paying cash for the rest of the month as well as July to see just how good it works for me. Not being a big planner, I’m still not great at budgeting because I often oversee obvious upcoming expenses like birthdays, weddings, or holidays. My ADHD fuzzybrain prefers to work with routine and what it’s familiar with, completely ignoring life as it happens. But it could be worse…
The next stage would be to leave my bank card at home and rely on paying in cash. This would also mean relying on my less-than-great maths skills, and I’m not sure that would be such a good idea. We’ll see how it goes. For now, I’m happy the way it is.