<p>I spend too much money now that I'm in Montreal. This goes hand in hand with my other vice: treating girls to drinks and dinner. I can't possibly sustain my current lifestyle, and I'm already thinking up $$$ schemes which is always dangerous for me....it's just frustrating when you go the club and you see 19 yr old dope slingers cutting the line into VIP and buying bottles of Moet...2 yrs ago I was worried about not having money for food, now I'm worried about not having designer clothes-I guess wealth really is just relative.</p>
<p>Dude, if you need quick cash, sell some stuff on eBay. I've paid off a set of tires that way.</p>
<p>Some stuff I've sold: textbooks (my dad pays for my textbooks and then I sell them for a personal profit), bobblehead dolls (if you get free ones at ballgames), old toys, old computers, video games, a roll of state quarters, and printer supplies for old printers (that I had sitting around). Look around your basement/attic for stuff you can get rid of. Stuff will sell--I got $50 for one of those old Apple II computers, about $10 each per bobblehead, $60 for an old calculus book...I'll definitely have more on soon.</p>
<p>I had that $$ spending issue, and still kinda do. But one way it's become less severe is this: make sure all your money is in an account. Take out a set amount of cash for a weekend, and put that in your wallet. Leave debit/credit cards in your drawer (or somewhere else where they're not in plain sight), and this will force you to only spend the amount of money you have on hand.</p>
<p>AFPrep-i was thinking about doing ebay stuff...but I just am reluctant about having to pay fees in order to sell stuff, and am not really sure how the selling works. Do they take like a certain percentage? or is there a flat rate you have to pay for each item sold? I'm just really clueless about ebay.</p>
<p>They will take a small commission and there's also a listing fee, but the listing fee is much less than what your local newspaper would charge for their classified. You'll need to have a credit/debit card and I highly recommend you link a PayPal account to your bank account. eBay has a really good online help system as well in case you ever get stuck/want to know more.</p>
<p>I second the bank account idea, but I'd also add a savings account if I were you. I like to keep around $1000 in checking at all times but I put the rest into savings, keeping that checking balance around $1000. The account I have pays about 2% interest, has a minimum balance of $10, and is a really good way to stash away your cash. You have to transfer or withdraw it to use it so you won't be tempted to, and you'll get a small amount of interest as well. I like to keep that account as full as I can in case I need a car repair, that way it's set aside plus it's gaining a little bit of money.</p>
<p>Find a comfortable balance for you based on your income and spending habits to put in your checking (I like $1000 because it's a nice even number even though I rarely spend over $120 per month--it gives me flexibility in case I get into one of my shopping modes) and put the remainder of what it would take to maintain that into checking. Of course, if you have a month where you won't be spending quite as much, put more in savings. (I got a bunch of gas cards for my birthday so I've been able to put money normally used on gas into savings, for example).</p>
<p>Another useful money management tip is to round up all the change you have sitting around, roll it, and put it in your savings account. When I opened my first savings as a four year old (it was a joint account), this is how I started it--I had about $25 worth of rolled coins that were laying around the house that my mom and I gathered up. You might not get much from rolled coins but every little bit helps, plus it cuts down on change in your desk, car, or dresser.</p>
<p>I definitely spend too much money, especially on food.</p>
<p>so stop buying things for other people.</p>