So, I’m kind of a dork. I enjoy numbers and math and attempting to put my messy financial situation into a neat little box (well, a few boxes, AKA a spreadsheet) so I can plan, save and make myself aware of how much I can spend on going out for a drink if I also want to afford a weekend away every now and then.

The truth: not so neat and tidy.

Here’s what happens: While budgeting, I am austere. I think about how much money I need to spend in a given month, categorize my expenditures, look back on past credit card/bank statements for a frame of reference, and forge ahead, focused on stinginess. Again, austere. If I find that I spent too much on, say, dining out or jewelry, I give myself a mental slap on the wrist and order myself not to waste so much money again. Why would I throw money away when I have so little of it? Next month, I assure myself, I will do better. I will be austere, and not just while filling in the boxes of a spreadsheet.

Based on the budget I have prepared for myself, I should be just scraping by, paying down my bills and putting a bit away for savings.

Still, month after month, I come up short or almost short. And I think I can pinpoint the reason. When I’m out and about, running errands or being social, the austerity slips away. I can be talked into things. I can talk myself into things. Little things, big things, things in between. And I really don’t know why. It’s not that I don’t understand the financial straits I’m in. (Reminder: $26,000 a year with $60,000 of debt spread between credit cards and student loans. Oh, and did I mention I have almost no savings?) (Also, importantly, the budget I’m trying to adhere to includes my full student loan payments ($435/month), even though some of my loans are in deferment until June and right now I’m paying closer to $150.) It’s more that, in many situations, multiple times per week or even per day, I can talk myself into things. Or I don’t even give myself that option - I just buy something, boom zap pow, and my money’s gone. Snap.

That brings me to: My First Experiment. And also: My First Rule.

Let’s start with The Rule.

Rule No. 1 of Getting Out of Debt: Think before you buy.

I don’t mean overthink or nitpick or analyze the hell out of or anything like that. Just take a moment. Pause. Reflect. Is this something I need or something I want? Is this something that will put me over budget? Will I suffer if I don’t have this thing? The answers to those three questions can be processed within microseconds, almost gut-reactionly. If all signs point to don’t buy it, then don’t buy it. If even one sign points that way, refrain. It’s simple: Don’t buy it. Refrain. Move on.

I will update you on my progress.

Part Two, then, is the experiment.

Experiment No. 1 to Learn to Reduce My Debt: Record the Things I Buy

I am not the first personal finance blogger to do this, and nor will I be the last. But for the month of May (and possibly June), I will dedicate myself to recording my expenses, even the tiny ones, on the Internet, for all who are interested to read and judge and pick apart and comment on. I welcome your comments, especially if they’re helpful, but also if they’re a little mean (note to meanies: try also to be constructive).

So there we have it. Two baby steps in the right direction. Wish me luck. More to come. Ciao.