What to Do When When Shopping Becomes a Problem

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Shopping is great fun, and it can really help to relieve stress if it’s your thing, but if you aren’t a particularly frugal shopper, or if you’ve started relying too heavily on shopping to the detriment of your bank balance and the glee, it might be time to start getting your shopping problem under control.

Here are some simple things you can do to kick your shopping addiction to the curb and get back to more reasonable levels of spending:

Take Inventory

Going through your closet and your cupboard, depending on what exactly it is you like to buy, and taking stock of what you already have is a great way to curb your spending because, it can help you to think more before you buy, and only buy the things you really need.

Give Yourself an Allowance

Setting yourself a monthly shopping ‘allowance’ is another great way to make you at least pause and think before you go on a wild credit card spree at the mall, especially if you give yourself incentives to stick to the budget, such as saving for a vacation or boosting your retirement fund with the cash you save.

Carry a Shopping List

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Whenever you’re heading out to the store, first write a shopping list of items you need and how much you are willing to spend on them, This is a simple way to curb the spending impulse.

Have a 30 Day List

The 30-day list is a great technique, devised by Leo Babauta at Zenhabits.com to help break a spending addiction. Basically, when you see something you want to buy, instead of purchasing it then and there, you write it down on a list. If you still want it after 30 days, you give yourself permission to buy it. Surprisingly often, you’ll find that you don’t actually want that thing you just had to have at the time, anymore.

Fix Your Finances

If you start taking control of your financial situation, perhaps by fixing your credit score at creditrepair.co, or by making real efforts to pay down your debts, even consolidating them so they’re more manageable, not only will it feel great, but that feeling you have of taking control will start to influence your spending habits, making you much less likely to pay with plastic  for stuff you really don’t need. When you’ve worked so hard to improve your circumstances, undoing it all in a few minutes on Amazon really isn’t so appealing.

Don’t Get Sucked in By Sales

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The prospect of saving 30 percent at your favorite dress store or $100 off that new couch you’ve been eyeing might seem appealing, but unless you really need it, it is money wasted, and anyway, sales are hardly difficult to come by these days - it’s almost certain that when you really do need to make a purchase, you will be able to do so at a discount.

Breaking your shopping habit will take time, and you’re likely to experience a few setbacks along the way, but if you’re determined and you do some of the things above, you will break free from the shackles of shopping, and when you do decide to shop, you’ll find it much more enjoyable as a result!