Starting out with the best of intentions is the best way to go about setting yourself a budget. When you fail to stick to your willpower and end up splashing the cash, however, it can be easy to throw in the towel entirely and spend your money on whatever you want. When you’re trying to save money, shopping can be one of the most tempting outlets and unless you’re strict with yourself, it’s easy to give in to temptation. If you really want to make a change, however, try sticking to your guns; by changing your approach to money, you can alter your shopping habits and save more, for longer.
- Think About Why You Shop
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When was the last time that you spent more money than you meant to? How were you feeling at the time? Often, repeated overshopping is due to an underlying cause and getting to the root of the problem is the best way in which to nip your habit in the bud. If you really can’t figure out what drives you to the shops, don’t worry; there are a ton of easy to access books out there that can make understanding your habits and reactions a whole lot more simple. Once you figure out the puzzle of why you shop, you can begin to change your habits and start working on your individual triggers.
- Reconsider Your Relationship To Shopping
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Shopping because you need something is one thing but if you’re constantly hitting the shops to make yourself feel happier, it could be time to change your perspective on the activity. While you might think that shopping makes you feel happy, it merely fills a void, temporarily boosting your mood and making you think that everything is ok again. You need to stop looking at buying as a cure. Try and remember that who you are is not reflected in the items that you buy or the clothes that you wear and spending money in order to change your appearance won’t do anything to your self esteem. As soon as you understand that shopping is a commodity, not a cure, you might be less tempted to hit the shops the next times things don’t go your way.
- Find Other Sources Of Happiness
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Improving your self image comes from the inside out and in order to really feel better about yourself, it’s worth picking a new activity to try. While shopping can be fun, it’s better for your self esteem for you to find meaningful projects that you can work on over a period of time. Learning a new skill or volunteering to help others can leave you with a much greater sense of fulfillment and won’t do as much damage to your bank balance, either.
- Change What Shopping Means To You
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Many people shop in order to get instant gratification but if you go into the activity with a different frame of mind, you can effectively change your habits and spend less money. Each time you feel tempted to go and look in a store or buy something, even though you promised yourself you wouldn’t, try challenging yourself along the way and changing your perspective. Thinking about why you’re doing what you’re doing, how it is going to change your mood and the way you might feel in the aftermath is a great way of stopping yourself from going too far and spending less money along the way. Shopping doesn’t just have to be an emotional experience and by using your brain a little more, you can change how you see the whole process.
