Budgeting

As I walk down the mall with several bags in my hands, I approach a food stand. I ask the employee for a large soda. I reach in my pocket and find that all I have is change, and I start to think, "Where did all my money go in a matter of 3 hours?" I take the soda in disbelief and walk out of the mall broke. This day started with a fresh paycheck of about two hundred and fifty dollars, and now it is all gone.

Now, I decide to go to my bank and withdraw money. When I get out of the bank, I look at the past couple of months and see that I withdraw every week. I definitely have a little problem, and I didn't even know it. So, I say to myself that I will just stop spending and put money in the bank next week.

Well, here we are, one week later, and I get my nice big paycheck. I go straight to a bank and cash it. As I am leaving the bank I look at my shoes and say to myself "I need a new pair." No big deal I will just go in and out get the shoes and go home.

Understand though, when I see something I want and I have enough money to get them, I will purchase them right there and then. I buy the shoes and start walking out when I see that a new video game has come out. This is not the smartest thing to do. I don't just walk out with one game, I walk out with two games and a magazine. I didn't realize it then, but I went against everything I had said I was going to do this week. I had about one hundred dollars left and had to get gas and pay my car loan for the month. So where do I stop before I get home, that's right the bank.

I came to a point where I couldn't keep on going to the mall every week and buying all these goodies. I went into work and decided to get a direct deposit. Then I would only withdraw the amount I needed at that time.

It doesn't completely solve the problem, but it will help it in the long run and I have saved a lot of money since I decided to do that. Look at me, I am in this class. I used the money I saved to come to school and pay for my books. I think that this is more important and I can go without a new wardrobe every other week.