How to stop Spending Money
Impulse buying can cause us to spend money that we don’t have. Have you been struggling with impulse buying and are wondering how to stop spending money?
Impulse spending gives you that rush. You know what I’m talking about. You walk into a store and you see something that you suddenly just GOT TO HAVE. You instantly buy it.
Over time, this becomes more frequent. You see something, you want it, you don’t think twice about buying it. The problem is, you are spending A LOT of money on impulse buys.
To make matters worse, often with our impulse buys we get home, enjoy it for a short time, and then don’t use it as often as we thought we would. Maybe it ends up in the back of a closet or cupboard.
If you think back to the moment you bought those impulse purchases, there are probably many times you wish you hadn’t spent your good, hard earned money on that item. In the end, it wasn’t really worth it.
So, the question is, how to stop spending money. If you’ve been known to impulse shop constantly and over many years, it is going to take some serious effort to change your patterns.
HOW TO STOP SPENDING MONEY
Make a “waiting” rule. What is a “waiting” rule? Basically, if you are in the store and you see something you love, and you want to buy it right then, don’t. Go home and think about it for awhile. Give yourself a week, 2, weeks, even a month. If, after that time you have set for yourself to wait has gone by and you still can’t stop thinking about the item you saw in the store that you wanted, then go buy it – if you have the money, of course. But more often than not people find that after they’ve had time to go home and think about the purchase, they no longer feel such a strong need to buy it.
This also works well with kids too. I’ve told my kids to go home and think about it when they see something in the store they want and they have the cash for. Usually they decide they don’t actually want to spend their money on that item after all.
Stay away from “just wandering” around the stores. The more you are in the stores, the more you are likely to impulse buy. Avoid just browsing in the stores for fun. This also goes for online stores When running errands, make a list and a strategic plan of going and out of the stores as quickly as possible to limit the amount of time you are surrounded by temptation if you struggle with overspending.
Leave the credit cards at home. When out shopping, bring cash only. Leave your credit cards at home. When we pay with cash only we not only are wiser when spending it because it is not unlimited like credit, and we also can’t get into as much trouble with it because once it’s gone, it’s gone!
Find other things besides “retail therapy” to help when feeling down. For years people have joked that when they were having a down day, all they needed was some retail therapy to turn it around. The problem is, that is a momentary high. It will wear off, and you will be left with no money or more debt. That will throw you into more of a low, causing a vicious cycle! Find something else to do when you need a “pick-me-up” after a hard day. Go jogging, read a book, spend some time with friends. Whatever you do, make sure it doesn’t cost you anything!
Make sure you have a little fun money every month. Being frugal can be emotionally exhausting sometimes. When we are tired of being frugal we can easily overspend. Try to allow a little room in your budget for spending money. Keep this amount reasonable. When you feel the need to impulse spend, remind yourself you can either take it out of your fun money, or you can bypass the item and use your fun money for something else. If you don’t feel deprived you are more likely to stick to your budget.
Make your financial goals visible. Write down your goals for your finances and put them somewhere you can see them everyday, whether it be on your fridge, or near your desk, or by your bed so it is the first thing you see every morning. Make sure you have that constant reminder of why you want to curb your spending. Remind yourself that you are giving up what you want now for what you want the most.
STOP IMPULSE BUYING AND SAVE MONEY
If you have a habit of impulse buying, or just plain overspending, these tips may feel overwhelming at first. However, the more you do it, the more you will see results from it. Use the momentum you get from those first baby steps to keep you focused on staying the course. When we are impulsive when it comes to our spending it just hurts us in the end. We may have a house full of stuff, but a load full of debt. You don’t have to regret those purchases. Instead, you can learn how to stop spending money in the first place.
if you tend to have a really bad habit of spending money you don’t have, doing a spending freeze may be the answer to help you learn how to stop spending money. a 30 day no spend challenge can get you off to a good start in resetting your spending habits that may be controlling your life. A spending freeze can help you create new habits when it comes to your finances.
Be sure to try these tips out if you want to stop spending money. Once you’ve managed to stop impulse buying, you can learn how to start saving money. Be sure to check out these 80 ways to save money for your next step in your financial journey.
