{"id":15521,"date":"2010-05-28T04:21:00","date_gmt":"2010-05-28T08:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hame.ink\/hameblog\/2010\/05\/28\/savings-plan\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T07:50:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T10:50:17","slug":"savings-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hame.ink\/blether\/2010\/05\/28\/savings-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Savings plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

I spend too much money online. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Okay, scratch that: I’ve spent what I’ve spent; it’s just time to stop for a while. Moving house was expensive, and I’d like to zero my debt again.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

I struggle with consumerism, because on the one hand I know we in the West live an unsustainable lifestyle, and consuming is not creating. But<\/em>, as a creative person I also know that it can be great and inspiring to have good tools. I like<\/em> buying good tools (and I’d far rather buy something I can use to make an infinite amount of other things rather than buy a one-time enjoyment thing).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The challenge is that it’s too damned easy to get an idea* of something to buy, and seconds later be logged into a site and buying it. The money flows just as quickly away, and not always advisedly. (And it’s not “a treat” when you give them to yourself all the time!)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

I have lots of other systems in place for dealing with my money. When my retainer comes in each month, it drops down a kind of Plinko<\/a> board and gets divided into different accounts for different things (operations, income tax, insurance, savings, fun money, and pocket money).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The trouble with the internet stuff is that it lets me bypass all my systems and spend operations money or credit card money.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

So here’s my strategy:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n