Avoiding Impulse Spending
Impulse spending is the reason behind many a bankruptcy and divorce! This seemingly innocuous habit can have a major impact on your life and relationships.
Try and answer the following questions truthfully:
1.) Does your spouse or partner complain that you spend too much money?
2.) Are you surprised each month when your credit card bill arrives at how much more you owe than you thought you did?
3.) Do you have more shoes and clothes in your cupboard than you could ever possibly wear?
4.) Do you own every new gadget that comes out before it has time to collect dust on a retailers shelf?
5.) Do you purchase things you didnt know you wanted until you saw them on display in a store?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you are an impulse spender and indulge yourself in retail therapy.
This is not a good thing. It will prevent you from saving for the important things like a house, a new car, a vacation or retirement. You must set some financial goals and resist spending money on items that really don’t matter in the long run.
Nowadays, the availability of cashpoints, easy credit, online shopping and home-shopping TV networks provide the potential to be round-the-clock consumers who can satisfy buying urges immediately. This makes impulse buying a bgger problem for us than it was for our parents.
Advertisers bombard us advertising their products at us 24/7. The trick is to give yourself a cooling-off period before you buy anything that you have not planned for. When you go shopping, make a list and take only enough cash to pay for what you have planned to buy. Leave your credit cards at home. If you see something you think you really need, give yourself two weeks to decide if it is really something you need or something you can easily do without. Ask yourself why do I need this product now? What real difference would it make if I bought it 1 week, 2 weeks from now? If you think you really want something, make a note of it, make sure you have full details like price, description, name of shop or website etc and leave it somewhere easy to find - if you find you still really want it after 14 or 30 days just go ahead and buy it! By following this simple solution, you will mend your financial fences and possibly your relationships.
