deal site purging

every morning i wake up to 8 new emails, not one of them from a real person. every one one of them trying to convince me to buy 6 things each - all at an incredible deal.

while i may be a glutton for punishment, the temptation is getting a little too much - time to purge. the problem with these emails is that in a moment of weakness, things that you would never ever consider buying are suddenly such a good deal that you couldn't possibly pass it up. not to mention the urgency that is placed on the purchase when there is suddenly a countdown on the screen dictating when you need to act by. i have for the past two years been collecting deals for cupcakes and fake eyelashes - which is evidence in itself of my non-existence self-restraint or sense of logic when it comes to deals.

instead of simply unsubscribing to all, i've streamlined to receive 2 only, as a starting point - no new emails would just make me feel unpopular. for now it is window shopping, but as soon as i've paid off my debt then a deal (having gone through a logic test) can be smart. 

Mint-y fresh

I recently downloaded mint.com's app for the ipad, and it can be credited with nudging me in the right direction.

It's a great financial management app that I was able to connect my bank accounts and credit card to - and I mean all of them. The "joy" of having multiple accounts and credit cards is that you're able to hide, ignorance is bliss as they say, and several small debts never seem that big of a deal than one lump sum. And so, within moments of downloading the writing was on the wall.

The other nice feature of the app is that it tracks your bills and all fees that go against your account. Meaning monthly fees that normally get pulled from my account that I should be exempt for are suddenly very obviously on display. Step one in operation financial clean-up: learn about your accounts, review all debits and credits to your account, and talk to your bank about how to streamline so you're not paying for things you ought not.

I will be the first to admit I'm financially inept - merely speaking to the bank sets me on the verge of a panic attack. For those like me, and truly anyone who wants to track their money I would recommend this app. It's hard to hide from the reality when it's laid out on a platter for your review.