I am obsessing!

[Kris10Leigh]

Money, money,money! It's all I think about! When I wake up, when I eat, when I sleep and every time in between! Do you all do this? Or do you take a more laid back approach?

As I have mentioned in many, many other threads, we are trying to pay down $23,000 in debt. Every time I turn on a light, I think "Well, there goes $.01 I could send to the CC company." It's insane! Honestly, I think I've exhausted all ways of cutting back on costs without seriously changing my family's lifestyle, and they are about to call me on it.

Also, I look forward to every Friday because Fridays are either paydays for me or for DH. Fridays alternate between us. Friday comes, I eagerly get on the website to see how high our balance is. Then I send a payment to the CC and I feel good about it! Then, within five minutes, I'm anxious for the next payday to come around.

How do I stop obsessing about this? I have my sight set on one year, not one week. I'm worried that at the rate I am going I am going to burn out and quit, because I tend to do that.

[Broken Arrow]

Umm... well, look at it on the bright side. At least you're on a forum where you don't have to feel like alone in your obsession.

[Harry00]

I suffer from OCD and I obsess about money 24/7. I am thankful for it because now I obsess about saving money. Before I obsessed about spending it. I just couldn't stop my self from spending. So, look on the bright side. That's what I do.

Hope this helps.

[34saving]

Don't take this the wrong way, but is that your personality? I mean do you kind of go in spurts of the obsession of the day/week/year? I know I do. I'll find out x information and I'll obsess about it until y happens and then it's okay. I think most people do that to one extent or another. Anyway, when I'm "really bad" I find it useful to schedule time to obsess. (IE, I will read about clefts for 1/2 hour from 2:00--2:30 and then I will do X.) Otherwise I find the current obsession can interfere with my ability to do other things. You might decide scheduling a 1/2 hour a day or so to have "permitted obsession" (talk to dh about finances, research finances, find ways to save, clip coupons, pay bills, whatever) might help you bring things back into balance. (Obviously you don't want to forget about it all together!)

[Ima saver]

I think I have always obsessed about money. I love to watch my savings balances go up every month or quarter.
Stick with us, we won't let you forget that your goal is to get that $23,000 paid off so that you can do some major savings!!

[boefixepa]

Well, I really started out the way you did. It's a new challenge a new attitude and like all things it will come and go in intensity. I kept checking the balance on my second when one day I realized it wasn't going to change everyday! so quit checking it! Instead I moved my 'creative energy' to cooking. I wanted to come up with the best tasting foods without spending any more money on them. It also gave me a way to be creative. It entailed coming up with a price book and finding the best pricing on cooking goods in my area and such. These are all things you could do personally that should be great for your family and they shouldn't complain to much. Don't burn out, but rather find new outlets for your creative energy. The payccheck will not come any faster and you don't want to lose sight of your goal.

[Kris10Leigh]

34saving, you hit the nail on the head! It is absolutely a part of my personality! And Harry, I would not say I have OCD, but I most definitely have symptoms of OCD! I get hyper-focused on things, but eventually the obsessions fade. That is actually one reason I am terrified of alcohol. My brother, whom I love dearly, is an alcoholic and I was told as a 15 year old while he was going through rehab (as a 17 year old) that I have the personality of an alcoholic. So I just stay away from it! Fortunately, my obsessions tend to be good things, but they are very, very strong. For instance, frequently I decide that I am going to learn to play the piano. (Ha!) I will practice 3 hours every day for 3 months, and then I won't touch the piano again for another couple years. In fact, one sign that I am becoming obsessed is that I will join a message board. And look at where I am! LOL! My brother once became obsessed with well water. He read everything he could about it, and then that crazy man went out in his back yard and dug one!! By hand!!

Setting aside a time to obsess is a really good idea, thank you! My husband suffers from OCD, but in a much different way. His therapist suggest that very thing to him. I didn't transfer the advice to myself, but maybe I should.

Ima, I will hold you to your post there. Once this obsession fades, I'm going to need people to keep me going!

[autoxer]

I have been obsessing too for about a year now. I log into my bank early on friday morning to send payments. I spend lots of time on this board, fatwallet, & creditboards. I have noticed myself bringing up money discussions more often with friends and even with strangers... I couldn't help it, I just met someone my age (27) that had their own house, but no debt, not even a mortgage. And the average house value around here is >$300k. I just couldn't stop asking questions, because I was impressed.

[Ima saver]

I thik I became obsessed with money when i was barely a teen. My mother worried about money so much, that it rubbed off on me. I saw how she worried that she could not pay the bills for the house. I never asked her to buy me anything. There was no money except the small amount that she earned every week.(My father died suddenly and she had never had a job in her life) No one taught me, but the first week I was married, I figured out a budget and stuck to it.(which wasn't easy with a husband that loved to spend and gamble)

I am obsess about money too... Think about it every sec of my life, until I have something to do, like homework, T.V, cooking, etc. Whenever I have free time, I think about money, but nothing can beat traveling.. Money and Travel are my obsessions.

[Ima saver]

Well, you sure have to have money to travel!! Hey, there are a lot worse than to obsess about.

[DayByDay]

Oh, I understand! I was just thinking to myself the other day that I need to back off on this money stuff a bit and concentrate on other things. On the other hand, I really must spend a lot of thought and action toward the money stuff or else things could really take a turn for the worse here.

[Bookie]

Once again, I find myself in the right place. My kind of people.

Here's what I do when the fiscal squirrels start to run. I have sets of Excel spreadsheets -- one set for my checking/budget, one set for savings accounts, and a set for debt reduction. When I start to obsess about finances, I pull up my spreadsheets and start to play "What-If" games.

Since I've set these spreadsheets up to project the current year, I can watch the effect of changes as they ripple through the figures. Shift 10% of my monthly savings amount to debt and what happens in terms of pay-off dates and interest? Trim the discretionary budget by 5% creates how many extra, unallocated dollars, with what impact on debt service? On savings?

The nice thing is that after I've exhausted my What-If scenarios, I can just close without saving the changes, and my unrealistic notions vanish. I've lived with my current arrangements long enough to know that they will get me where I need to be an on schedule.

But I can't resist allowing my inner financial geek and my inner computer geek to have some fun.

[Ima saver]

Sounds like fun, wish I knew how to do that bookie. I keep track of my savings and my 2 debts on paper. I started keeping track of my finances on paper in about 1988. I think that it helps to motivate you, to know where you stand at all times.

[Gruntina]

I am obsessed with money! I was not this way until I became aware how bad my debts become (Unfortunately LATE!!! on this one) and had a wake-up call! I am so adamant at paying off my debts. I am hoping once the debts are paid off, my money obsessions will not be so overdone but not too mellow so I can invest and be good with my money for the rest of my life.

[getforfree]

I think, I am obsessed about money too. For over 3 years now....

Every time I use something, like food, laundry supplies, tp, food, or gas for driving--- I am thinking how much does it cost me to do it. I hate to spend money.

I try to limit my shower to 2x/week, 10 min each, use the least amt of tp possible, wash only full loads and hang it outside, try to use less electricity, try to drink more water so I would eat less, and all that, not because I like it better that way, but because all that costs money, and I think about it every second.

I also found that I talk a lot to everybody about money, bills, savings, ways to cut costs, not only friends, but even strangers. And there are some friends who don't like to talk about money, so I try not to talk to them about it, so they will talk to me at least, but then it feels like we have nothing else to talk about. Most of other stuff is boring.

[veronak]

Just recently I have found myself obessing, especially since I havew taken this stand against debt. I guess it's a good thing

[Ima saver]

If I talk even a little bit on the other forum I am on, about saving, or frugal tips, I get a lot of flack from most of the other members on the forum. They say, they have never seen a hearse with a u haul behind it! I don't want to take it with me, I just want to have enough to enjoy life while I am here. That means, to me, having a nice home and cars, living well and having no debt.

[Bookie]

Ask them if they've checked the rates to hire a hearse. And, no, you can't use a credit card for a one-way trip.

[Ima saver]

I will. Actually the two that give me the most grief don't even have savings accounts, they live paycheck to paycheck and drive $500 cars. (I am not knocking a $500 car, but I still don't want one)