Archive for 'Budgeting' Category
Overspending Series Part #8 - Reward Yourself For Your Fiscal Responsibility
When you reach milestones on your savings journey, such as not overspending for a week or month, you should give yourself a reward. Have lunch with a friend, spouse, or partner and celebrate your success. Treat yourself to a movie or concert. Or, you might even go for a slow and deliberate shopping trip with […]
Overspending Series Part #7 - Keep A Journal To Record Your Progress
You’re on the road to becoming a saver rather than a spender, but that doesn’t mean that you can expect to get to your destination right away. The journey from overspender to tight-wad can be a long one. As time passes, you need a record to remind you of just how much you have accomplished. […]
Overspending Series Part #6 - Finding A Better Way To Meet Your Needs
If you are overspending to enhance your self-esteem and make yourself feel better, then you need to find alternative ways to meet these needs. For example, instead of going shopping, take a course to learn something new and useful, like car maintenance, cabinetmaking, or something just for fun. Join a club with people who share […]
Overspending Series Part #5 - Practice The Nonhabitual
Ultimately, if you are going to break the overspending habit, you have to replace it with some alternative and non-overspending habits, and there is nothing like practice to get a create habit. These might include the following; put money in your wallet and don’t spend it for a month. Leave your credit cards at home […]
Overspending Series Part #4 - Stop, Look, and Listen
The idea is that when you get the urge to spend you the following: Stop your immediate impulse (head to your favorite chair rather than the mall) look at what the impulse is telling you to do (Spend, buy something, do it now.), and Listen to a different tape you play in your head (”I’ll […]
Overspending Series Part #3 - Overspending Buddy
Have a buddy who has agreed to help you handle your compulsion to spend. Your buddy could be a friend, relative, or your spousal partner. It could even be someone who is an overspender, too. When you find yourself getting the urge to jump in the car and head for the mall, call this person […]
Overspending Series Part #2 - The Triggers
The idea here is that whenever you feel the urge to shop, simply “jam the binge trigger” by doing something you really enjoy. Working with your spouse, partner, or friend, brainstorm some things you really like to do. For example, perhaps you really enjoy talking to a special friend, or maybe you like to read […]