C
Christian O.
I seem to spend a lot of money of things I don't need and need to find a way to curb that.
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I seem to spend a lot of money of things I don't need and need to find a way to curb that.
I have a category for discretionary spending in my monthly budget that gives me a fixed amount I can spend. I find that having this category keeps me from overspending because if I spend all the money it will not be replenished until the next month’s budget. However, on an average month I do not spend all of the money and I end up sending the excess to savings.
Find a reason not to spend that money that's really meaningful to you. For me, it's the environment. I watched a film about the actual cost to the planet and the future of our kids and grandkids of buying "stuff" that really made an impact on me. I joined a zero waste Facebook group and find that having the support of others and being able to get advice and ideas from them on how to achieve my goals really keeps me on track, especially since I see several posts about the subject every day. For you, maybe it could be saving for college or a vacation or retirement. Remind yourself of your goals daily or join some kind of group or community to help you along.
This article has some great tips to painlessly cut back on excess spending https://www.thebalance.com/painless-ways-to-cut-your-spending-1388550
I do want to avoid spending a lot of money on unnecessary things.
I was an impulse shopper and during lockdown and working from home over the past 18 months has helped me to curtail my impulse spending and the one question I ask myself when I do make a purchase is whether its a need or a want. Always ask yourself if the purchase is a "need" or a "want". If it is over $10 and you can wait 24-hours leave it and if it is a need come back the next day to purchase. Also, if you purchase something, get home and realize you do not need it, don't be afraid to return it.