3 Guidelines That Stopped My Impulse Buying
Transcript:
I used to be an impulse spender and didn’t even know it. I had in my mind that I was only an impulse spender if I spent all of my paycheck on stuff instead of rent, bills and food or if I spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on impulsive shopping sprees. I never did any of that. Then I realized that it wasn’t the amount of the purchases or whether you spent bill money or not that determined if someone was an impulse spender. I was focusing on “spender” and not including the “impulse” part. Impulse is “a sudden wish or urge that prompts an unpremeditated act.”
“Uh oh. I do that all of the time,” I thought.
If I felt I needed a dog kennel, I was on Amazon getting one. If I thought I needed new earphones (even though the old ones worked perfectly), I’d buy them. If I wanted this book or that book, it was on the way within minutes. And here’s the deal. All of those little things added up to over $40,000 worth of debt because I didn’t curb spending when my husband’s business started failing. I had to start putting food on the card in essence spending my money on unnecessary things instead of food. So even though I didn’t spend all of my stuff on useless junk at one time, I was slowing sinking financially from a steady flow on things on useless junk.
I Needed Guidelines
Once I realized that I was an impulse spender, I determined to get to the root of it. Through several emotional intelligence journaling sessions, I realized why I impulse spent (read my story). This wasn’t enough, though. I still need some guidelines to help me curb spending. I found them in the book of Proverbs. Now my guidelines don’t need to be your guidelines. Find what speaks to you like these do to me.
They are:
A treasure. It had to be a treasure to me because of its beauty or sentimental value not price. For example, I have a large picture of hometown’s Main Street from the 1930’s hanging in my living room. Why? Because I love my town, and it reminds me to pray for my city. I paid for the print and got the frame for half off and to me it’s a treasure. I have a coffee table that’s a treasure because I love it! When we moved, I spent a week sanding it down and refinishing it to compliment our new home and new TV console. I could’ve bought a new one. But I love my coffee table and revamped it into a “new” old treasure.
Bring joy. Each item around me needs to bring joy. Throw blankets, my pajamas, my furniture, wall decor, shoes, etc. I don’t buy shoes just because they’re on sale. I save up and buy Sanuk’s because they make me happy. I have a vase with cotton bolls and a metal rooster in my dining room because it reminds me of my grandparents and that makes me happy. I often find myself pausing and looking around feeling joy at what I see around me.
Excellence. If I buy anything, it must have excellence. I used to buy junk, things that cluttered my home instead of adding value. Excellence doesn’t mean expensive. It means worthy. For example, I was looking for a chair for my office. In the past, I would’ve bought the cheapest, most boring chair I could find. But now I spend days even weeks finding the right one. This has created patience in me because I’m now willing to wait and hunt for that perfect piece that is excellent, brings me joy, and is a treasure. And I found it. It’s a beautiful royal blue velvet chair. I love it! Every time I walk into my office, I am happy just seeing it.
A few of my favorite things:
I love flowers. When I saw this bowl, I knew I had to have it. It’s one of my favorite pieces. I searched high and low for those ottomans. The color had to be just right. Velvet with buttons on top. Anything with roosters and cotton brings back great memories of my grandparents. And this picture doesn’t do that blue chair justice! It’s so rich and absolutely gorgeous. Velvet, too. The painting is an original I had done of my beloved cat, Joseph. And when I saw a book all about black cats, it was a no brainer. And, of course, the picture I had printed and framed of Main Street in the 1930’s.
The Devil Still Whispers
Even with the pain of paying off $50k of debt, my guidelines, and the emotional intelligence work I’ve done, I can still hear the devil on my shoulder tempting me to impulse spend. Whenever I hear those whispers, “Go ahead. You make more money now and can afford it,” I remind myself that wealth is attracted to good management. Spending should never be because you can afford it. It needs to be filtered through guidelines, core values, and purpose.
What Are Your Guidelines?
I am now frugal because of the money work I’ve done. It’s empowering to control my spending and not let spending control me. If you recognize a need for change in your spending, I’d suggest sitting down and thinking about what guidelines you’ll use and then use them to shut the devil on your shoulder up!
