i had the same problem, and recently fixed it in a very primitive way…i was putting every check into my checking account, and using my debit card relentlessly…by the time it was payday again, i had drained the account again. I’ve never really had a savings account, and for years have lived paycheck to paycheck…it’s a very scary way to live, because the moment something goes wrong with a car, an unexpected student loan comes in, etc, i’m fucked…
here’s what i did:
Bought a $1 big plastic crayon bank thingie intended for kids…(or me)…
made myself put $50 to $100 of every paycheck…if i got a paycheck bigger than normal, $150 would go in it…
I never let myself put anything less than a $50 bill in there…
It may seem very childish, but the key is taking an active role in the saving…and being able to physically see the results. By seeing the shape of the bills in the crayon, and knowing what i have in there, i am reinforcing the action of saving more.
It feels good knowing i have something in there, and sure i could just cut the crayon open if i wanted…but in the time it would take me to do so, i would think to myself “what the hell am i doing…stop it.”
Saving eventually becomes a hobby, borderline obsession…and you literally begin to enjoy it, knowing you have a security blanket…and you’ll find yourself spending less and less so that you can afford to take more and more out of future paychecks, and put it in the bank.
Many people will say that this is dumb, and to just open a savings account…but, with a savings account, all you have is a piece of paper that tells you what you have…very different from really seeing and feeling what you have. I tried the savings account thing a while ago, and it did nothing for me. Now, i can admire my savings whenever i want…and be proud of the broken habit of excessive unnecessary spending. :tup: