Money, money, money

Ah, the woes of money. After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, I got paid last Thursday, and even though this money is supposed to last me a month (damn you monthly pay!) I have found myself in a very familiar situation once again - flat broke. I know I'm not the only person who seems to have spent my pay before it even arrives. Once you take out rent, food and bills, there isn't much left over to play with... or save. I always have good intentions of saving. I transfer some money straight to my ING account as soon as I get paid, with well-laid plans of keeping it in there and not giving it another glance... that is until a week later when I'm running low on cash and find myself having to transfer $50 to keep me going... and later, another $50... and so it goes.

Every male I know doesn't seem to have this problem. My smart boyfriend and brother both manage to save every week and my brother recently paid his $15,000 loan off in less than a year. And while you might be sitting there thinking I have thrown all my money away on clothes and going out, sadly it's not true. But as hard as I try to be good with my money and set out a budget for myself every month, I always seem to run out. Even though I take a packed lunch to work, walk whenever I can to save on transport, and most of my weekends involve free trips to the beach or a cheap meal and DVD at home.

So then I got to thinking, is it the difference between creative types and mathematical minded folk that has us differing so much in the money stakes? Is it my creative spirit and easy-going attitude that causes me to miss expenses here and there? I'd like to say it's as easy as that but I think it's more likely a combination of trying to fix up my debts, save for a deposit on a house (I'm going to need a lot of freelance work to top up that account) and living in the most expensive city in Australia.

Sure, I've made mistakes in the past and thrown away money on silly things, that's part of growing up and having fun while you're young! I've lost money to friends, made some bad purchases (most notably a $3500 car that blew up after six months), and lived from the ages of 18 to 24 pretty much on credit (if you don't have a credit card, don't get one). But I'm happy to say that I have been living credit-free since October. I got myself a new loan through a credit union (lower interest and no fees for early repayment) to consolidate my debts, cut up my credit card and opened an account with ANZ to get myself a Visa Debit card. So far, so good.

I now think about purchases before I hand over my cash. And if I really want something, I have to wait until I have saved the money to buy it. The satisfaction of buying new furniture with my boyfriend when we moved into our place, with cash, was surprisingly sweet. Now I just have to pay out that loan, and stay far away from the shops. Wish me luck : )

Notes on Glossy Paper