How to Curb the Urge to Spend

When I think about the urge to spend, immediately Target comes to mind.

For most people I think Target is a HUGE money suck. I’m so thankful I haven’t ever been into Target too much at all, I think it has been 8 – 9 months since I have stepped foot in there. To be honest, and I’ll really BE honest, I try to avoid going to the store completely because I find that if I do, I save so much more.

Obviously we have to go to Costco at some point in the month (but we are great at just getting what we need, and I think that’s due in part to shopping with CASH). When I shop with cash I know I can’t go overboard because that cash has to last.

The urge to spend is all over – head to the 99 Only store and you can’t just walk in and walk out with a few items. You usually end up spending $10 – $15. With Target, it’s all in the Dollar Spot – it’s so easy to get sucked in, you forget why you even walked into the store

You wander aimlessly and find things you might think you need, but you really don’t want… next thing you know you are strolling up to the registers with a half or full cartful of new clothes for the kids, clearance items that might not have been necessities… it’s just too easy to spend.

Where does this Urge to Spend Come From?

The urge to spend might come from the rush to buy something new.. if you are shopping with coupons, that urge to spend might come from the feeling of success when you walk out with $100 of food for $5… 

You might have gotten a little more in your pay this month so you let your guard down just a little – wanting though, is a very slippery slope – is it not?

You find something that you might need, that compounds into food items you remind yourself as needing, to that latest recipe on Pinterest you wanted to try. You flip open Target Cartwheel and see sales on items that you feel the urge to buy. Yet it all comes down to whether you actually need it, or that you simply just want it.

I take out $220 at the start of every month – which pays for Milk and Produce for the entire month. Milk is $30, produce is $25 each week – $55.00 multiplied by four is what I need to have in my checkbook cover.

A few weeks ago, my kids found that money in my wallet, and my husband said “I thought you didn’t have money”  

I said “I do. But that is earmarked for food. It’s exactly what I need for this month.

Him: But how are you going to make that last for the month without spending on something else?

Me: I have no issues doing that. You might not be able to but I can.

I just don’t shop. 

Here are a few ways to curb that urge to spend.

1. Remember WHY you are buying things

Checking in with your priorities is important to know why you are spending. If you are looking for a new dress, new kids clothes, new tires for the car, think about what is a necessity and what might just be a passing want.

Avoid buying clothes just to impress someone else – you should be buying the things that you truly need. Not something that you are looking to spend money on to impress someone else. Sure, some things might seem like a drop in the bucket, but those drops in the bucket can add up fast when you are on set budget.

2. Pause your shopping and find another medium to keep yourself busy

If shopping is your solace, break the habit and find something else to keep yourself busy. Cooking? Baking? Park trips with the kids? Avoiding the store altogether is easier than going to the store and trying not to spend. That’s impossible to do for most ;)

3. Avoid Catalogs and Get off the Internet

Toss those catalogs you get in the mail and if the internet is your vice to spend, then get OFF the internet. We might be a frugal blog but we don’t want you to spend if you don’t have the money.

I can name several handfuls of sites that will encourage you to spend more with their HOT! HURRY! mentality – set specific times during the day to surf online (after lunch, after dinner) and avoid everything in between.

Your life will not crumble if you aren’t on Facebook or the internet every second of the day. 

4. Set your Budget

What helps me the most is setting a budget for my money – It gives me a guideline to stick with for the month. It’s important to allow some wiggle room for things you might need that you didn’t have budgeted (for me, that means Hefty One Zips that pop up on Amazon on a really great deal). 

Otherwise, without a budget you will spend vicariously without any real understanding of what is going out and what is left. It’s just too easy to pull out your card.

5.  Be Content

Hard to do when you see your friends and family on Facebook with their show of trips, buys, purchases, coupon scores, or even experiences. Try to be happy with the things you have – find contentment in your time with the kids, with the family, and creating memories with them from things you can do at home.

Find contentment in accepting, embracing and doing your best with the reality of your situation. In the mindset of saving for retirement, spring break, summer break, imperfect relationships, broken appliances, worn out shoes, and financial challenges, choose to be grateful and content, and to trust that God has everything in hand and YOUR best interests at heart.

That trust can be a challenge.