#FREEFROMTAKEAWAYS

Sometimes, losses are victories, and shying away from takeaways is always a good thing.

I don't want to make you feel powerless over your finances. In fact, one of the categories I struggle with and I feel like is a matter of self-control, is takeaways. I've been struggling to put them away endlessly for years and months on end that I've lost count on how much money I've lost from buying crap from them. To be honest I don't care if I'm BANNED from using their apps, I wish that was a real thing. Their predatory marketing makes it so you feel like treating yourself out of pocket, when really, a majority of takeouts can lead to a spiralling spending spree. At least for me that's what happened when 21 year old me lacked discipline at the time. And guess what? My future self would be ashamed to have so much food right in front of me that it becomes so hard to maintain how much I'm eating. And to tell you the truth, I spend hundreds a month on takeaway, when I should be learning how to cook easy and simple meals at home!

What you have left in your pocket is more important than comfort.

This is unfortunately true, as I've avoided financial responsibility for a long, long time.

Now this is more of me blaming myself, but needless to say, financial responsibility starts with you. It's not easy to partake financial matters when: a) you have little control over your money b) you're living cheque to cheque c) you overspend a lot of the time HOWEVER, it's better to try to investigate reasons for these rather than burying your head in the sand pretending everything will all be okay. I know this from experience and I should know better to not evade this responsibility, no matter how uncomfortable I am with the situation.

Always know your what your income and expense figures are.

I've always been hiding from budgeting because I feel like I'm already saving without putting in much effort. Truthfully this isn't the case anymore and I should've budgeted right from the start.

Sometimes simple dishes taste better than overcomplicating things. It's the same with budgeting, you don't need to overanalyze every single transaction that you process throughout your daily life. Just have a rough plan of what you want out of your budget, say saving at least £10 every time you do grocery shopping for instance. You could do this by switching to non-branded goods, as an example. Sure there may be a noticeable difference in the quality of the food you eat but it'll definitely help your wallet in the long run. I'm pretty sure that by reading this article that you are either looking to relate or find a solution. In which case, I feel like the solution should start with a firm foundation. Try other budgeting websites like Martin Lewis' one as I'm not too versed into the budgeting world. I'm just a guy venting their frustrations.