I am guilty of overspending. I'm not proud of it, but I've done it and you know what it totally stinks and I always regret it. It used to take a bit of effort to overspend, as in I had to actually leave my home in order to be reckless with my money. But now I can spend more than I should online in the comfort of my own home. There are ways to stop yourself from overspending. Not only are they easy, but they actually work.
Here are six ways to stop impulse shopping that actually work!
Cash is it!
Cash is king. If you don't have the cash to buy it, DON'T buy it. Do not bring credit cards with you when shopping. Bring just the amount of cash you can spend. If you don't like carrying cash, you can get a prepaid credit card and load it with your cash.
Do NOT window shop!
If you have no money to spend, do not window shop. That goes for virtual window shopping as well. I mean if you are on a diet and you are super hungry and someone puts a chocolate cake in front of you, what do you think is going to happen? Yeah, not a good idea.
Make a list and stick to it!
You've got money to spend. Great! What are you going to buy with it? Write it down and then go buy what's on your list. No, don't look at other stuff. Stay focused.
Make it hard!
Online retailers want your money, so they make it easy for you; they let you create accounts and store your shipping address and payment options. Don't do it, don't store your payment or shipping options. That way every time you go buy something online you have to take the extra steps.
Unsubscribe!
All those email alerts you get for deals and sales, unsubscribe IMMEDIATELY! Why are you unnecessarily tempting yourself.
Set up a fun fund!
Set up an automatic savings plan that puts away $5 or $10 a week. You'd be surprised how quickly it adds up when it is separate from the rest of your money and you just leave it there. Then if you accidentally overspend on purpose, transfer the funds from your fun fund into your regular account to make up the difference. This is only a once-in-awhile option because none of us are saints.
