Click here to read all of the 33 Days And 33 Ways To Save Money And Reduce Debt posts.
Day 30: Know Your Weaknesses (Spending Triggers)
If you have struggled to get out of debt, take a few minutes and write down a list of your, personal ‘spending triggers’.
When you find yourself in certain circumstances – or around certain people – do you find it difficult to maintain good spending habits?
At Christmas time, do you spend more than you should on gifts, food, cards, and parties?
When you go to the convenience store, do you buy snacks that you don’t need?
If you are at a restaurant, do you feel social pressure to order what others are ordering?
Are you overly influenced by “sale papers” or “internet specials”?
As simple as it seems, if you want to get out of debt, you need MONEY! So, you can either earn MORE money, or spend LESS money. (Brilliant. I know…)
If you are aware of your ‘spending triggers’ you can
A) avoid situations where you might be tempted to overspend.
B) discuss your financial goals with your friends and family, so that they will be “on your side” (helping and not hurting).
C) be absolutely committed to living on a budget.
I’d love to read your comments. Have you figured out what your “spending triggers” are? Do you have a system in place that helps you avoid overspending?
Click here to read all of the 33 Days And 33 Ways To Save Money And Reduce Debt posts.
Observant readers will note that this series has taken much longer than 33 days. I can assure you, I am blogging as often as life permits.
As simple as it seems, this is why most people (including me) have trouble paying off debt and “staying on trackâ€. My husband recently lost his job, and we realized that this is the key to our financial success… we are both spenders, and we absolutely need to take control of our spending, especially now.
We do not have a system in place that helps us avoid overspending, but it’s certainly something we need to think about…
Excellent blog packed full of great info. My husband was ill for quite some years and we had to set such a tight budget. One thing that it did for us is teach us to be smarter about money.
Di
We need to live more simplier lives. Why do we need to have so much “stuff”? Are we always looking at what others have? Why do we “need” two incomes? I sometimes wonder why do we do this to “ourselves”
Do you have any answers Jason?
Blessings,
Renee
one way that i’ve found to avoid a ‘spending trigger’ is by using the drive through window of our local rite aid. usually i would browse the store while waiting for my prescription and end up buying things that i really didnt need. by using the drive through, i avoid the browsing and the buying!
Thank you for continuing this series. I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of answering the questions and have posted my response on my blog.
I’d like to add that building a support group is a crucial tool in the efforts to break a habit. If you have buy in from family and friends it will help tremendously. If the support doesn’t exist, it can also undermine efforts.