A Simple Tip To Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need
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Need help to stop buying things you don’t need? Let me share with you one simple tip that always helps me rein in my spending.
Sometimes it can feel incredibly difficult to stop buying stuff. I think we all go through periods of life when we feel like we can’t stop shopping and buying things on impulse.
There can be a whole host of emotional triggers for this spending response. It could be sadness. Perhaps you’ve had a bad way and want to treat yourself. It could be in response to a good day. Perhaps you’ve wanted to treat yourself for something going well. Spending could be in response to boredom.
How To Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need
Whatever your emotional spending trigger, there’s one technique that I’ve personally found really useful to rein in my spending and to stop buying stuff, particularly on the high street. It’s really simple: just work out your hourly rate.
Yup, if you don’t get paid on an hourly rate, then work out your hourly rate.
A Demotivational Tool
I find this a really useful demotivational tool when it comes to buying things I don’t need. This is because when I’m thinking about buying something then I work out how many hours it would take me to work to buy that item.
For example, I might ask myself if that ‘must-have’ pair of boots is really worth 6Â hours of my time spent at work. Or could I think of a better investment of my time spent at work? It’s the single most one thing that helps me stop buying things I don’t need. I find this a particularly effective method to make me really stop and think about an item’s value against my time spent at work.
I find working out my hourly rate also really helps me think about why I’m working. It’s really helped me realise that I’m not at work to be able to buy stuff I don’t really need, but ultimately to provide for my family and have fun experiences with them. Prioritising experiences over stuff ultimately makes me happier and more fulfilled, and less like I’m chasing the unattainable dream.
Any other tips on how to stop buying things you don’t need? I’m all ears!
ps: posts 1 -4 in this series are available here in case you missed them.
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Oh, I do this all the time! Somehow, it’s put thing in perspective in the opposite direction. It’s like, of course I would spend a day’s wages on a nice pair of boots! It does put things in perspective. Thanks for mentioning it.