How do you combat temptation?

[rachelMcK]

Hi everyone!

As some of you know, I'm new to frugality. I've been doing fine until lately. Now, all of a sudden, I want to purchase things. I bought some weights and a yoga mat, a magazine, rented 2 movies, went to the movies, went to McD's...all in one week. I feel like a failure now, especially since we were saving for our wedding bands, and I still need to get my engagement ring sized. Its a terrible feeling.

I wonder, how do you combat temptation?

I know that I shop when I'm bored. The last few days I've had off, plus DF was away doing a job. Do you have any advice as too how I can stop this impulse buying?

Thanks!

[Nantahala]

The best thing for me is to stay out of stores, off ebays, and away from sales! Along with that we keep a written monthly budget with goals for the month and long-term goals on it.

[Droppedonmyhead]

What works for me whenever I get the "shopping bug" is to sit down and go over my budget. This brings me back to reality. I also have my "list" of ways I can be frugal. It helps to go back over this list (I carry it in my wallet). Also too, come back to the FV forums and get recharged!! There's a lot of great advice on here. The urge to shop will disappear!!

Almost forgot to mention. . .don't beat yourself up about the shopping you just did. At least they weren't really expensive items. Learn from it and move on. Good luck!!

[LadyNada]

Ugh, I have that problem, too. My trouble is, I love to yard sale and thrift store shop!!! lol I could spend my whole paycheck on one Saturday morning. And and I love to eat out. But we are both trying to cut back on that (at least together).

[Daisygirl]

I know how you feel Rachel. I just got back from holidays and it seems I did nothing but spend frivolously.

Some things that work for me:

Stay home and find something to do that will make me feel accomplished
Go over the pile of unpaid bills sitting in the basket on the counter
Write down a list of the things that you are saving for. When the urge to spend comes, read over the list and see if what you want to buy today outweighs what you want to buy later.

Don't beat yourself up, we all do this. It is human nature and the society we live in. Just do your best to get "back on the wagon". If you splurge occasionally you are much less likely to give up on frugality all together.

[starsapphire]

I stay out of the stores, brick-and-mortar and online. Occasionally, the shopping bug will bite and I decide that I 'need' that makeup/perfume/whatever. I look it up online and add it to my shopping cart, take it all the way to the page where I have to input my credit card info, then that makes me stop, because I have to go get my credit card out of my purse. So I think to myself, I'm going to wait and see if I need this two days from now. Because really, it feels good buying it and getting that package from UPS, but once I have it, the feel-good feeling is gone by the next day and I have once again charged more money on my credit card and I just have this 'item'. I think about how buying that item is going to delay paying off all my CC debt and I only have 4 months to go and I am so very tired of this debt. By the time two days have passed, the urge to buy is gone, and I haven't added to my debt load.

[ironmaiden]

Sit down and brainstorm ideas of what to do when you have downtime. thus when you are bored, look at your list of ideas as opposed to defaulting to go shopping as an activity.

[annertak]

I guess whenever I get an itch to go shopping, I just read these boards! I used to like to shop alot, but I made up my mind not to (it was actually a New Year's resolution many years ago!). It also works for me to know that I could if I wanted to, but I'm making a concious decision not to. It is a powerful feeling to know you have control over your finances.

If all that doesn't work, then I go to the thrift store & look throough everything there. By the time I'm done, I'm tired of shopping & I'm hardly out any money!

[Lady Jennelle]

With me, the more $$ I see in my savings account - the more I want to see so that helps me with it.

Love,

Jennelle

[babetteq]

What do I do? It looks like a lot of people here have similar tricks to my own. Don't go in stores if you can help it, don't go onto ebay or other shoping online stuff. I also start making lists of how much stuff I have that I *don't* need... knickknacks, a huge pot and pan set (instead of just the basics) more clothes than I can wear, necessitating me emptying out my closet every season to make room..... etc... The other thing I do is I ask myself "can I make it myself or use something else?" A yoga mat for example... can I use a folded up towel? Did yogi's use yoga mats? I used to make my weights out of bottles filled with water and the lid glued on, then tied onto a broom stick or doweling. As long as you're not becoming a body builder... hey.. it's free...

Sometimes ..... ya just spend it.

Don't beat yourself up. We live in a society that works harder, spends more money and research and is completely made up of ways to make you part with your money. does it surprise you that we're all fighting for frugality???

Good luck!
babs

ps: if you just think of mcdonalds as 'poison' (see supersize me, it helps)... it makes it much less attractive.

[autumnlynn]

When I get bored and want to go shopping, I stay out of the stores. I try to get working on a project at home. If I just don't feel like work, I go to Yahoo Games and play a few games of Text Twist. I usually just need to keep busy.

[momtoadiva]

The one thing I have learn to do over time is write it down instead of buying it, question it's purpose, the reason I think I need it and if in a week or two I still feel it's necessary then I buy it. Most of the time I find I have completely forgotten all about it and therefor it really wasn't that important to me after all.
Some other tricks is for you to sit down and figure out how many hours of work it will take for you to pay for your purchases. I put up with alot of stress at work and work hard for what I make so sometimes I think uggg I will have to work 3 hard stressful hours for what ever. For some it put some perspective on things.
Changing your spending habits/lifestyle isn't something that is easily done overnight for most, so like babysteps you make mistakes or regrets just learn from them.
Good luck

[frugalfarmwife]

I'll look at the price of whatever is tempting me and figure out how much it would take off my mortgage and how much it would shorten the term of it, works every time for me! I didn't get this way overnight though, it's a long term project to get really frugal.

kj

[bee9984]

I saw a saying on someones siggy on another website about 4 years ago now (can't remember the site) I wrote it down and carried it with me where ever I went and to this day it has stayed in my mind everytime I go out and about.

It read like this:

"Buying what I want now will often result later in needing what I can't buy."

We were living from Paycheck to Paycheck and I would think, what if the kids get sick and need medicine, what if something comes up and I need a few extra $ , like a flat tire, etc. Do I really need that new sweater or will the 4 I have be pleanty.

I saw somewhere on the internet (can't remember where either) a question about when were you at your lowest point financially or something to that effect and a lady answered how she was at her lowest the day she couldn't buy her childrens school pictures ....

[MrsB]

Staying at home works best for me. But also looking at your purchase in the big picture. i.e. If you're tempted to buy a latte think how much it would cost if you bought just one latte once a week for a year! At $2 a cup for 52 weeks thats $104! That definately helps my spending habit!!

I do still occassionaly get a frozen coffee drink or milkshake or whatever but I make sure I really want it and I'm not just buying it b/c I THINK I want it. For me personally if I deprive myself all the time of my frozen coffee then I start hating the frugal lifestyle that we're living and want to spend more. So you have to give yourself a treat once in awhile but not all the time.

OK I started rambling and I'm not sure I made any sense! lol