With all the options for shopping — online, offline, using your Smartphone — it’s not surprising that so many people have a financial problem due to overspending. If you find yourself spending more every month than you can afford, there are some tricks you can use to help curb your spending habit. Cutting back on what you spend may be difficult at first, but as you build responsible spending habits, you’ll find you have more money available for when you do want to splurge a little.
1. Avoid General Shopping Trips
Don’t go shopping if you don’t have anything specific you need to buy. This means no browsing email deals from Amazon.com, no hanging out at the mall, no window shopping. Even if you promise yourself you won’t spend anything, chances are you’ll break that promise and end up with an expensive purchase.
2. Limit Your Funds
You can’t spend the money if you don’t have access to it. Sign up for a prepaid debit or credit card at Kaiku.com, load it up with the amount of money you’re comfortable spending per paycheck, and then use only that card for shopping trips. You’re more likely to spend wisely if you know you don’t have any more to draw on.
3. Wait Before Buying
If you see a great deal or something you “just have” to have, make yourself wait 24 hours before buying it, especially if it’s an expensive purchase. After some cool-off time, you may realize you don’t really want it all that badly, and you’ll have saved yourself some money.
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