I Did it Yesterday and Felt Naked . . . All Day

I actually did it and the world didn't end . . . I left my credit and debit cards at home. Yep, I have started to simply carry a few bucks in cash with me and leave the credit and debit cards at home.

The plan is to limit my “F*ck-it Moments.” You know, the ones where you simply buy something on an impulse. I don’t live that far from work and I have both AMA and Roadside Assistance from Ford. So if anything happens I can make it home since small amount of cash means I can still bus it home, if I have to. 

I almost didn't do it as I said to myself . . . hmm well I do have to go get groceries . . . maybe tomorrow. I then mentally smacked myself and said that all I have to do is get lunch meat; I can do that with a few bucks cash. 

I knew that I had to start this to get my spending under control as most times I spend and don’t realize it. You have an impulse and pull out that card and tap it, now you don’t have to push any buttons. 

I plan to take the debit card with me on days that I get my paycheque. That is the day where I go to the bank and buy what I need, such as fill the gas tank, get groceries, etc. After that, back in the firesafe the debit card goes. 

I looked at my bank account again and things are not as bad as it seemed yesterday. I have been in the overdraft for so long that literally I assume that I see brackets around the bank balance. That indicates that the number is negative (in the overdraft) and not in the positive (out of the overdraft). 

There is a huge difference between being a few hundred to the positive and my truck payment has not gone through yet and being a few hundred in the negative and the truck payment not gone through yet. Don’t get me wrong, due to my spending habits I will still be in the overdraft before my next paycheque, but it isn’t as bad as I had originally thought. 

I will not pay as much as I had hoped ($1000.00) on my first credit card, but I will still be able to put somewhere around $500.00 on it. This is a start and my goal is to pay something on a credit card and stay above zero by the end of the month.  It may be small, but a start is a start.