An interesting read
1st up, good on you for the weight loss, great work
2ndly, great work on cutting back and being frugal now to look after your future, many people cant/wont do it to their long term detriment.
I see you have hit the weetbix, I have eaten them for years with no sugar, they fill me up but dont realy have a taste but as long as i have a fully belly I am all good
I liked rixters suggestion here :
http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showpost.php?p=806774&postcount=45
I do the same thing, pay everything on CC and then pay off the CC every month, live off the banks money and earn points.
This wouldnt work for everyone, some people wouldnt be able to control their CC spending and it would hurt them, it jut depends on who you are and if you can control the spending.
Another thing to note is if you earn points from a CC or shopping card etc use it on something that saves you money, dont spend points on a flash toaster or a handbag, use the points for a $$$ fuel voucher or store credit at woolies/coles where you would shop anyway. Also some options are more worthwhile than others, eg you get a better deal on a caltex fuel card than just a cash rebate.
Some other things
- ditch cable tv if you have it
- ditch the smokes or booze
- if you pay in cash, pay in notes and when you get home put the change into a jar. It means that when you look in your wallet it looks like you have less money (less notes) and makes you more frugal in your spending but the reality is your change container will hold a decent amount of $$$. i used to do this alot a few years ago and every month I would have $100 in change that was at home not being spent rather than having a note in my wallet tempting me to spend it
- Review what you own and sell stuff, whether it is books, collectables etc. Get serious wih what you really want to own and flog off the rest, depending on your hobbies you might be sitting in a couple of hundred $$$ worth of stuff
- reward yourself, whether it is every month or 3 months or a specific goal, once you achieve it and been good with your spending etc then buy yourself a nice meal or a tshirt etc. it doesnt have to cost alot but just be something that you normally wouldnt buy because of your current position.
- Share with friends and socialize. Keep seeing friends you dont have to go out for coffee and lunch, visit people, invite friends around have a chat, be actie in your friends group you dont have to spend $$$ to do that. While seeing friends borrow dvds or xbox games or board games. Saves everyone $$ and still lets you have some fun and entertainment
Good luck with it all!