One of the things I have very quickly learned during a no-spend challenge are the things in my everyday life that pose the greatest spending temptation to me. And before you start thinking – “Oh, here is where she tells us to skip my latte” — um, no. I don’t drink coffee or lattes so that wasn’t a temptation for me. Now grabbing an impulsive energy drink in the grocery store check out line? Stop attacking me!
No but seriously, this challenge has really made me examine those things that tempt me to spend money impulsively. I’ve mentioned previously that I struggle with object permanence– out of sight, out of mind! For example, if I buy plants, and put them somewhere I don’t see them, I feel like I need more plants. Resisting the urge to buy more plants is a lot easier when surrounded by all my plant babies <3
Another temptation is clothing. I work from home. My normal daily “uniform” is yoga pants and a t-shirt. I get dressed up to go to the grocery store and church. Thats it. So why am I so tempted to buy an entire new wardrobe for spring? I have no need for it. I know I have no need for it but, they are so soft and pretty. For me, overcoming this temptation again goes back to object permanence. Are my clothes disappearing, no not really. They are however going into the black hole that is the laundry. So, when I go to my closet/drawers and they are empty, my brain goes- “oh! I need clothes!” but the reality is that no, I don’t need more clothes, I need to do my laundry because as soon as I do, my closet and drawers will be over flowing.
As someone who struggles with object permanence, online shopping is a real danger for me and something I continue to struggle with. I have found that one of the biggest budget dangers for myself are apps on my phone that integrate with Google Pay. Why? Because it’s way too easy to just click a button to pay. There is no pain point. There is no going to the store or even just going to get my card out of my wallet. And because there is no immediate physical object, it doesn’t satisfy that object permanence need. So, for this challenge, one of the things I am trying to do is weed out the apps on my phone. I am either deleting them completely or, at minimum, removing their ability to send me notifications (aka temptations). I don’t want to be notified of a limited-time sale because I don’t want to spend that money. I don’t want to be notified about a new line of clothing. I want to hold on to my money!
And finally, I don’t think any list of spending temptations would be complete without the grocery store. How many times have we bought things in an attempt to “eat healthy” only to realize that that’s not who we are and wind up going out to eat because there is nothing to eat in the house? Or how about adding that extra box of cookies that aren’t really on the list but look so yummy? Or because the kids will love them? Guilty as charged! Those “small” impulse buys aren’t bad in themselves, but they add up over time. I don’t want to even think about how much money we have wasted buying things that we don’t use! The good news is that this is avoidable by simply making a list and STICKING TO IT. For me, grocery pick-up has been one of the greatest blessings to my grocery budget. I now plan our meals for the month and shop the pantry while I put together an order. I don’t feel “deprived,” and I’m also tempted to add extra things (like energy drinks in the checkout line).
What are your impulse buys and budget busters?
