Conscious spending isn’t about cutting your spending on everything. That approach wouldn’t last two days. It is, quite simply, about choosing the things you love enough to spend extravagantly on – and then cutting costs mercilessly on the things you don’t love.

We spend more on our mobile phones than most people in other countries do on their mortgages. We buy shoes that cost more than our grandparents paid for their cars. Yet we don’t really know how much these individual costs add up to. How many times have you opened your bills, winced then shrugged and said: “I guess I spent that much”? How often do

If you didn’t set up automatic contributions, do so now, even if it’s just £50/month. It’s a good habit to get into and will help you accrue any necessary minimum.

RAMIT: I understand it’s difficult, but take a look at my history. I’ve been a customer for more than three years and I’d like to keep the relationship going. Now, I’d like to get this waived – it was a mistake, and it won’t happen again. What can you do to help?

RAMIT: Well, I see the fee here and I’d really like to get it waived. What else can you do to help me? (Repeat your complaint and ask them how to constructively fix it.)

YOU: I’ve decided to be more aggressive about paying off my debt, and that’s why I’d like a lower APR. Other cards are offering me rates at half of what you’re offering. Can you lower my rate by 50%, or only 40%?

Most people don’t get into serious credit card debt overnight. Instead, things go wrong little by little until they realise they’ve got a serious problem.

Whenever you make a call regarding a dispute on your bill, you wouldn’t believe how powerful it is to refer back to the last time you called—citing the rep’s name, the date of the conversation and your call notes. Most credit card reps you talk to will simply give in because they know you came to play in the big leagues. When you use this to

The Pocket Tracker for Tracking Credit Card Calls