As we get older we tend to get more forgetful they say. I say we are just getting more and more distracted by stuff around us.
We women especially have so many things going through our brains that we tend to do things on autopilot. Am I right ladies?
A great example of this autopilot thing is constantly misplacing my debit card. Yikes, right? Misplacing ones debit card is never good and trying to figure out where the hell you last had it is even worse.
I misplace my debit card at least once a month. I hate my debit card. I want to use cash again exclusively but that card is so darn convenient.
So how do I misplace my debit card so often you ask? Shouldn’t it be in my wallet which is in my purse? I hate purses and wallets too. I am a “carry it in my back pocket” kind of girl. I wouldn’t even own a purse if I didn’t need it to carry my chapstick and gum.
Here in lies the problem. I take my debit card out to pay for something on-line and forget to put it back. I take it out to pay for my lunch at the store because I don’t want to lug my purse with me into the breakroom then I forget to put it back. Then it gets washed because I forget to take it out of my pocket at the end of the day and God forbid but my husband refuses to check pockets before he puts things in the washing machine. Yes, I know it’s my own fault.
The other day after missing it for almost a week I found it in a pair of pants I didn’t even wear because I was too lazy to iron them. I have no idea why I would even put it in those pants but it happened. And then I lost it again a week later but found it in my stupid purse in a pocket I swear I checked at least three times. I think God just thinks it’s a hoot watching me search for it.
So what does this all have to do with debt other than it’s funny hearing about my debit card follies?
Going through life, especially when it comes to managing your debt on autopilot is part of our debt problem. We are not paying attention to our money. We have no idea sometimes where it goes or what we have spent it on.
Sometimes I ask my husband where the money went that he had yesterday and he usually says he has no idea. In fact he took a friend to breakfast a few weeks ago and when I saw the bill it was over $50. For breakfast? What the heck did you eat?? I asked him. We tried to figure out what would have cost that much and seriously couldn’t figure it out. How easy was it to just swipe that debit card? He was just on autopilot, probably chatting away and just added a tip and signed his name, not even looking at the bill.
We all spend our money frivolously and on autopilot at times. Every day we go to the same coffee shop, and buy our gas at the same gas station or take our books back to the library and pay a $1 fine and not think a thing of it.
I think that’s why when we talk about debt we aren’t spending money on large purchases most of the time. It’s the autopilot purchases that really get us into trouble. Large purchases we think about first and plan for and try to get the best price. Our vacations, vehicles, homes and furniture are planned items.
I have been seeing posts on Instagram lately from people that are using cash envelopes for their monthly spending. We used to use cash envelopes and it worked great. We were mostly debt free too. However, this was before easy access to on-line shopping and smart phones, which are huge contributing factors to debt for all of us.
Here is a challenge for you: when you are buying something, anything, pay attention to what you are doing. Just be aware. Don’t buy your groceries while talking to your best friend on your cell phone. Don’t go shopping at the mall and get up to the counter to pay for that new sweater all the while searching for your husband’s Christmas gift on Amazon on your phone. In fact put your phone in your purse and say hello to the cashier and pay attention to what you are buying and how much it costs.
I will have to attach a large key chain to my debit card like the ones you get at a gas station when you want to use the bathroom. Seriously!
See you next time! -MM
The Professional Domestic 
You are so right about autopilot purchases! Here’s a shocker….we don’t have a debit card on our bank account. Every time we go to the store, we have to pull the cash out of the can and decide how much we will spend. When we have monthly bills due, we deposit what is needed into the checking account and write the check. It’s odd, but that means every single penny is thought about. The credit card is in an envelope in the kitchen, so if I use it, even for a business expense, I have to go retrieve it. Sometimes you do have to go to extremes…we did, but it did work! Here’s to a good week paying down for you all!
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I wish we could do what you do Kathy. I would have no problem living without a debit card and using cash only but my better half would struggle with it. We are not quite on the same page and probably never will be but I think he is still adorable so I will keep him haha!
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It took DH awhile to realize he couldn’t have ready access to the credit card, and he had to come to that conclusion in his own. 🙂 I think it helped when I started traveling for work without using a credit card. It wasn’t meant to be, but it became a challenge for him, and then we actually got there.😊
Once things start to snowball on the positive side, it will be easier to make some of those moves, too.
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Absolutely spot on! I must have spent five minutes today trying to decipher one charge on my statement. To then only recall that it was the vet bill I put on the wrong card! My husband is always saying he doesn’t understand why we don’t have money. Until I show him all his coffees and lunches, and cash withdrawals he doesn’t know what the money was spent on. It all adds up, and very quickly.
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