Keep a money diary

Meanqueen · Post by **Meanqueen** » 28 Jan 2009, 17:42

I have mentioned before about keeping track of your spending by writing all your outgoings down in a notebook, then you can see where your money is going. I have just come across this money diary which you can print off and fill in day by day. It is on the Moneywise Website. Very usefull I thought.
moneywise diary

Ilona
^b:

Effie · Post by **Effie** » 28 Jan 2009, 17:50

I did this for about three days, years ago. It made me feel sick realising how I spent money so I stopped :oops:

If I had any will power then seeing it all in black and white would really help me get on top of things!

kate egg · Post by **kate egg** » 28 Jan 2009, 17:59

Would need to get other half to do it too, mind you his writing is so bad even he cannot read it :shock:

Post by Mo » 28 Jan 2009, 18:00

When I started college I kept a notebook. Listed everything down to the last 9(very occasional) cup of tea in the Student's Union.
A few years into married life I decided I was on top of things and didn't need to be so detailed, just listed the totals in categories = so my Tesc shop was 'groceries' not a complete breakdown.
I still do to an extent, but now using a spread sheet for my current account, debit card and credit card.
So at the end of the year I can tell what I've spent on Regular items (and I could break that down into groceries, petrol, car repairs, bills,holidays, clothes etc) and One Off (maybe a new computer or an accordian, or big household repairs and replacements).

Nice to know that we are still in the black.

kate egg · Post by **kate egg** » 28 Jan 2009, 18:04

I do that too Mo, on a Sage accounts system same as I use for work. Broken down into housekeeping, clothes & shoes, brithdays & xmas, petrol & car expenses, holidays etc. That is scary at the end of the year seeing how much has been spent.

We are in the process of changing to a new bank account thought and the system has lapsed a bit

Post by **Richard** » 28 Jan 2009, 19:27

No fancy stuff with me I'm afraid.

I have my home made Calendar (single A4 sheets with relevant number of squares in it, dates written in etc).

Down the side I have three columns

1. Money earnt
2. Money Paid in
3. Money paid out

All work days are green highlighted for easy reference.

Can be scarey reading sometimes !

misty · Post by **misty** » 28 Jan 2009, 20:39

I don't spend a lot on the household, but animal feed is another thing, and when they need new shoes and coats! I daren't write it down as I couldn't cut down anyway.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » 28 Jan 2009, 22:47

Can I call myself techy then?

I have a spreadsheet on the PC that lists everything that goes out bill wise and at the top I put what I earn a month.

I just look at the number at the bottom, if it stays black I am happy, orange means I have dipped a little over and red means I best earn more the next month!

I joke when I say I am techy, video recorders confuse me and the spreadsheet is a lot better at maths than me :D

Chicken on the Hill · Post by **Chicken on the Hill** » 28 Jan 2009, 23:04

My dad does it your way,MQ, has done for years. He gets a little confused when the bank adds on his interest and it doesnt tally with his calculations! But its a good method which works for him.

Teasal · Post by **Teasal** » 29 Jan 2009, 00:23

I know where my money goes -= and its not spent on luxuries for us. My large menagerie of animals. Winter time sees an increase in outgoings because of their feed, and it drops considerably in summer. I have never kept an actual record of it all though.

lancashire lass · Post by **lancashire lass** » 29 Jan 2009, 10:21

My finances are going to be extremely tight since I took out a new mortgage & a loan, and I'm determined not to use a credit card - I've started writing it all down with a running total & remaining balance of what should be in the bank at all times. I also have a tally of my grow your own spends (compost, seeds, tools etc) and it's quite staggering how much money I've paid out already ... when you harvest stuff you tend to think of it as "free" and casually forget what you had spent to get to that point! :shock: