My Spendthrift Ways

This list is in answer to my post 25 Frugal Things I do. I’m going to use it as a way to auto evaluate, correct some bad behavior, and set some goals (I hope). Or, it could just be entertainment for the rest of you…

1. I have three children. All kidding aside, kids are expensive even without buying all the junk that’s marketed towards parents and young families. While all my kids are planned, and I would never tell someone not to have kids because of financial reasons, the financial ramifications are plenty big.
2. I don’t have a retirement account.
3. I barely have a savings account.
4. I don’t have an emergency fund.
5. I make use of my overdraft account way too frequently.
6. My husband has yet to take advantage of his employer’s matching savings account.
7. I eat out too often.
8. I impulse buy- even if it’s small stuff, it still adds up.
9. I have a hard time sticking to my budget and goals.
10. I have debt. A lot of it. From a long time ago. For stuff I can’t even remember.

OK, so only 9 things I do wrong (I’m not counting the kids obviously). I’m actively working on conquering number 10, by paying off the credit card debt using a fixed rate loan at a much lower interest rate. I’m also no longer using my credit card.

But numbers 2 through 9? Got to get started on those.

PS: This is an interesting link. It helps put things into perspective for me.