FOLLOW US

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
    • PRs Work With Us
  • MEDIA
  • DIRECTORS CUT
  • Contact Us
Joleisa logo
  • Frugal living
  • Eat for less
  • Start a blog
  • Recommendations

You need a Spending Journal

This post may contain affiliate links

I don’t do well with New Year’s resolutions. I mean I think it is a good thing to do but I just haven’t had a lot of luck with doing it… Except in one case: using a journal.

I failed at my resolutions to lose weight, call my mom more often and wake up earlier every morning. The one resolution that I will ever be happy that I made, was to log my spending. Since I’ve started, I’ve never looked back.

My first hand experience of seeing this in practice was when I visited my friend in Holland. I saw in her small office a pile of receipts, some of which were beginning to turn yellow!  I thought her husband was really not treating her well at all. Not only was he not treating her well, he was wanting to see proof of how she was seeing his money! I honestly thought he was wicked.




I couldn’t help but tell her what I thought. And she didn’t hesitate to put my fears to rest and explain the whole thing to me. You see, taking are of your finances in this way is similar to going on one of these diets where you have to write everything down that you eat. Writing everything down causes you to think, doesn’t it?

And seeing all the ways you have wasted money creates a sort of embarrassment, doesn’t it? Well that is exactly what it does to me. In fact I think that if I had been doing this for a longer period of time, I would have acquired another house by now. Honestly, I get the chills when I think about silly ways I have given away or wasted money!

So here is what I have resorted to doing to keep my personal finances in check:

Keep all receipts (no matter how small the amount)

Get a book/diary and keep a list of all the money you spend every day

If you are not convinced, just try it for a month and see. In fact, if you start the month with a set amount of disposable income, you will find that you are able to account for all of it. Not only will you be able to account for it all, but you will see all your silly and downright wasteful ways.

When I did this myself I found things I didn’t like. I am too embarrassed to put the list here but I am sure you can imagine, can’t you.

So as it relates to Resolutions for the New Year, I will stick to the one thing that I know work for me. I would definitely suggest that you do that too. Let me know if this is something you have found useful or if this is something you would consider doing.



If you want to raise children with sound financial backgrounds, get them to do this journal too.

Like this idea? Subscribe here

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • WhatsApp
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • Print
  • Email
  • Skype

Related

Filed Under: Frugal

About Joleisa

« Save money when renewing insurance and other policies
Finance Resolution Challenge »

Comments

  1. Brittany Quinn says

    January 6, 2017 at 4:30 am

    What a great post I agree writing down expenses is important it’s easy to forget what we buy. Having a spending journey is a excellent idea to stay on budget.
    Brittany Quinn recently posted…No one told me I had to block myself from Google analyticsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      January 6, 2017 at 8:48 am

      What a shock we sometimes get when we look at the receipts and see some of the trivial and foolish ways we have spent money too! Glad we are now wiser and richer for keeping a spending journal.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hey guys and gals!

Hi, we're Jo and Leisa, twin sisters and authors of Joleisa.com. Originally from the sandy beaches of Jamaica we now reside in England where we followed our calling to teach. But sometimes that call changes and our new passion is writing. We're here to give the ups and downs of it all with our lifestyle tips and tricks to help you avoid the sour lemons that can get in our way of frugal budgeting, intentional living and happiness. Join us and learn more about how we found the simplest ways to achieve easy living. Read More…

AS SEEN ON CHANNEL 5’S

We are Sociable

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Exciting Mothers’ Day Giveaway
  • Gorgeous and Inexpensive Gifts for the Ladies in Your Life
  • Setting up a Trust to Protect Your Child’s Financial Future
  • Tips to Look After Your Family This Year
  • Preparing for a Baby on a Tight Budget

MOST POPULAR POSTS

Why we left teaching

  • Be your own boss
  • Set up a blog
  • Making money from your blog
  • Using Pinterest to help your blog
  • Fixing sleep problems
  • Frugal family fun at half term
  • Having to plan a funeral!
  • Let’s show you how we save money on food
  • Our time on Channel 5’s Shop Smart, Save Money
HIBS100 Index of Home and Interior Blogs HIBS100

Copyright © 2021 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 ·Tasteful Theme · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in

YOUR PRIVACY

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.