Has anyone successfully transformed themselves from an impulsive shopper and money waster to a saver?

[sogsandogs]

I waste TOO much money.

On food, impulse buys, fast fashion, over generosity.

I often try to rein it in but it's pretty ingrained and for some reason not spending this way feels like "lack" to me.

I really want to be someone who is motivated by saving and not spending - I feel shame about what I burn through , even though we can "afford it" (not rich but my spending doesn't negatively impact on paying bills or the lifestyle we live.

I lack the self trust and belief that I can change I think , looking to be inspired by people who have changed their flippant spending ways !

I'd be interested to know aswell . I'm sure I have a shopping addiction , I can afford it and am not in debt but could definitely rein it in and spend wiser . I'm a buyer who wants not needs .

Yes. I went on Money Saving Expert website and did the exercise where you put in how much you are spending on lunches - frivolous stuff etc. Was fairly shocked, did some more calculations of how much that would be in savings, off the mortgage and off my credit card.

Realised that in 2 years, with only a few tweaks, I could actually have some savings.

Started tracking what I was spending and when and had a budget for annual things like car insurance etc (I used Toshl to do this).

I still had a very nice life, went out, bought stuff - but much much more mindfully and had a much better idea of what I was actually spending and when. Basically I was in control of it. So not penny pinching or reusing tea bags etc. But having a look in my wardrobe before a night out to see what I actually had to wear. Never buying anything to wear without thinking - where can I wear it?

I still splurge on food - I like eating out and nice groceries.

But I now have very reasonable savings. it's nice.

DH and I worked out how much we spend on food each month and it was completely ridiculous. We are controlling it by cutting our almost daily trips to Aldi to once a week and I go to the local market once a week for vegetables. If we eat through the nice stuff and snacks early in the week we just have to wait until next week to replenish. We still do impulse buys, but we have less opportunity to do them.

I’m sure you can change. You need something like Marie Kondo - try that because it’s a way of resetting your attitude to stuff and materialism.

When you say food - do you mean eating out or food shopping? I have found online food shopping and meal planning helps me stick to a budget.

I do sympathise. I find not buying coffee and lunch at work very hard and it means I fritter a lot more money than DH!

Learning about compound interest helped me! Also thinking about buying stuff as converting my hard earned money into rubbish as eventually everything will be landfill.

Theres lots of good money saving advice pages on Instagram and as PP said look at money saving expert there's something along the lines of...do you need it, can you afford it etc to consider before making a purchase. Can't quite remember it...obviously I never put it into practice uh oh - ha!

Paying yourself first has always worked for me. You transfer your savings on payday and then live on what disposable income is left.

you can but you have to really want to, it will help if your partner is on board
but generally you have to budget and put savings away just like the money for bills set it up as a direct debit
for some people it helps if totaly discretionary spending ie coffees or lunch out not food is in cash so when it's gone it's gone

I'd love to know this too.

What bank do you use? I get paid into a Nationwide account, where I divide money up into savings, the joint account, and regular bills, and then I transfer a set amount every month for discretionary spending into a Monzo account. Things like coffees, lunches, haircuts, clothes, all come out of that; the app is good at categorising my spending so I can see where my money's going, and that helps me stick to a budget. I also use the pots to budget for upcoming big expenses (holidays, Christmas, dental), and transfer money to them every month.

On average, about 60% of my take home goes into the joint account, 20% into savings, 10% discretionary spending, and 10% contingency. That way we've got enough to cover the essential expenses, some fun money, and a safety net.

I also have a moment of thinking of who is going to chuck it out when I die? Less but better quality is way to go...

This.

I transfer some to a savings account each time I get paid. I just treat it like a bill.
You’d be very surprised by how quickly it adds up.

Also, for online shopping, I unsubscribed from a lot of emails, and almost always leave items in my basket. More often than not, I realise that I don’t actually want them.

Thanks for the responses

I have a Monzo account but never really got going with the pots - I might spend some time working out a budget for things like that.

I'm generally a total dopamine chaser (probably adhd) and find it hard to resist the impulse. I'm also ridiculously influenceable.

My husband is total opposite and he is so motivated to have savings and financial stability- he'd much rather that than "stuff"

Thanks to him we have reasonable savings but it's dawning on me how much more if I sorted myself out.

Food I've got out of the habit of planning and online groceries , in and out of m and s and Aldi all week.
Love to eat out and regular coffee dates with mates.

I think I give too freely to the teens too - always accommodate where they want to go and what they need to do it.

We all need some limits and discipline I think (except poor husband who probably deserves a treat !)

He's asked what I'd like for Christmas and I can't really think of a single thing I'd like, because I've already bought it all!

Covid was a real trigger for my change , realised how much I had been wasting on going out drinking plus I had a small stroke in the autumn and we moved home to a more rural location from the city to be closer to my parents as my dad had Parkinson’s (he passed in 2022). We don’t have much of a social life now due to my health and location and that coupled with some quite chunky pay increases in my CS job have meant I have managed to save £100k in four years plus a small inheritance from my dad.

We live very comfortably have an almost paid for new home and I still buy everything I really want but my need for things especially clothes (wfh) has diminished a lot , my focus is to save for early retirement at 55 which is very motivating !

I transfer abput 90% of my disposable into savings as soon as it hits my bank account. Then live off the fumes! It makes you build a pretty good life with people who are resourceful too.

Similar strategy , transfer money to the joint account to cover bills and food , £500 left as fun money and rest moved into savings. I get PIP and that goes straight into savings too - if I need extra the money is there but stops the mindless spending and I love seeing my savings grow each month

I once had to cut down lots to reach a specific financial goal. There were several things I tried. Most effective was to genuinely try to have a month where I did not buy anything but the basics. I would still socialise, but not buy treats, clothes, etc., for myself. I would start with that, as even just a month of it will change your perspective.

Also go for quality over quantity in things and be mindful of what you want. My one splurge of this year was a nice leather laptop bag for work. I also only buy quality stuff for gifts.

I got quickly accustomed to this mindset and never really picked up the habit again of dopamine-fuelled spending.

i do the same

lets say your personal income is 2500 after tax ( not counting DH at present)
your half of the essential non variable bills mortgage and council tax are £700, your half of the bills which you have to pay but have some control over the amounts heating, broadband, phones, transport to work, car house insurance car maintenance etc essentials like food basic toiletries cleaning materials any debt repayments say another £700
so now you have £1100 left
after this you decide on savings before the nice to haves so you decide you are going to save £500 so you direct debit £500 for savings
now you have £600 left
you now decide how to divide the £600, is it £100 for the kids, £100 for you to spend on coffees and entertainment etc £ 150 towards next years holiday £50 towards next christmas £50 for birthdays £100 on clothes shoes bags
£50 for gym etc or do you decide to increase savings and cut the christmas, holiday and clothes budget for a few months
but if you spend on coffee takeaways cinema tickets and decide to save what's left the answer is there will be practically nothing left

Yes. I made the decision to get divorced which completely changed my priorities. Stuff doesn't interest me anymore but I'm excited to be getting my freedom when I can buy my own house.

My spending habits only changed when I'd got into a lot of debt and had to pay it back - that was tough and really made me value the little things. I'm more of a saver now but will spend money on travel, but am more careful in other areas. I wouldn't pay $50 for a pedicure for example, but would spend that on a massage.
I'm trying to save for a house and that's my focus at the moment.
I love moneysavingexpert. Great website and the forums are really helpful.

Only buy things with cash. Withdraw no more than £50 at a time. If you really want something save your £50s

Yes. When I was in my early 20s, I only bought something if I actually needed it.

• Do I still have jeans, tops etc that fit? Then I don't need clothes.
• Do I still have makeup, shampoo and conditioner left? Then I don't need them.
• I have nail varnish left? Then I don't need a new colour.

Etc.

I stopped buying any food or drink out the house, made my own lunch every night for work the next day.

I did this for a few months and it just stuck. I'm still the same 15 years later.

I put things in the basket and and regularly and can't buy for x number of days.

Watch Buy Now! on Netflix

Shopping is landfill, most of the time

We've been brainwashed to consume