Want To Stop Spending? Then Reduce The Temptation
If you want to stop spending you need to reduce the temptation to do so.
Even though I have a “No Junk Mail” sticker on my mail box I still seem to get the occasional group of junk fliers promoting everything from Target’s latest sale to pizza menus.
I received such a batch of junk in my mail box the other day and immediately threw them into the garbage bin, all the while cursing the delivery person for putting them in my letter box in the first place. Although it did get me thinking about the lure of these and other temptations laid in our path, enticing us to spend our money.
Advertising is ubiquitous these days and the temptation to buy is everywhere, but there are a few things you can do to reduce both.
Firstly, place a “No Junk Mail” sticker on your letterbox. This will stop the majority of junk mail getting delivered to you. If you don’t know what businesses are advertising then you will be less likely to want to spend money with them.
The same goes for television advertising. My suggestion is to stop watching regular TV altogether. I have done this and the level of advertising coming into my life has probably halved. I hate ads interupting my favourite shows, so I do one of three things:
- Record the show and watch it at a later date, skipping over the ads when I do.
- Wait for the DVD of the show to be released and watch it then (either buying it and re-selling it on eBay afterwards, or borrowing it from a library or a friend).
- Or finally, downloading it off the web.
It may cost you a few dollars to watch your favourite shows but think of the time and the money you will save by not watch the adverts that commercial stations place in the shows. And you get the added benefit of watching the show when you want to and not when the station tells you to.
Another source of too many ads are magazines. You can save money and decrease the temptation to spend money by eliminating magazines from your life. There are huge amounts of advertising in magazines these days and you are paying for them. Imagine how much you could save each week if you stopped buying magazines.
Instead, borrow a book from the library to read on the train or bus, or even buy a book - it will take you much longer to finish it and guess what, no ads!
When you go shopping make sure you have a set idea of what you want before you go. Make a list of exactly what you want and then get in, get it and get out again. As quickly as you can. Shopping centres and shops are designed specially to make you spend more. So put those blinkers on and stay focused.
Stop going to online shopping sites unless you are after a specific product or want to compare prices. Again, make sure you have a clear idea of what you want before you go online. Log in and log out.
Removing the temptation of spending is half the battle in reigning in your spending. Remember, if you don’t know about it, you can’t possibly buy it.
Have you made a move towards reducing the temptation to buy?
Image credit: Яick Harris
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