How does one stop spending money? Don’t throw a line at me that you can’t spend what you don’t have. It isn’t true, you can spend on credit cards. I’ve gotten myself in trouble so many times with money. Through the years I’ve managed in one way or another (don’t ask) to pay off my credit cards and unfortunately built them up again. I’m there again, but not too terrible yet. I really need to just pay off what I have before spending more. It seems very hard to live in a life style that you are accustomed to, without using credit. I need to go to spender’s anonymous or something.
I got very crazy today when I went to pay my Citibank Mastercard online and there staring me in the face without any notice was a 28.99 percent APR 
on the card, when it was about 9 percent a couple of weeks ago. That is just nuts. I called them up on the phone and they said, “Oh we looked at your credit and found that you made one (ONE) late payment in the past (gazillion years that I’ve had it).” I said, “but you took the late payment fee off of the account when I called you and told you what happened and that I made a mistake and you said you understood.” So after having to explain what happened all over again, they said they would put it back down to 9. Thank goodness I looked. I got no emails or mail about it. I feel like I am being held captive by these people. What if I did make one late payment in years of paying correctly? Thirty percent on a credit card? I can’t do this anymore.
One of the problems in spending without really needing “stuff” is all the advertising on television and the web. The worst is my email. You buy one thing from some store and you are socked with enticing sales that make it seem that if you don’t get this deal right now, you will never see it again. But of course you do, and usually three hours later. I am going to my email right now and cancel all (most) of these email advertisements. Wish me luck and give me encouragement.
Kate