If you have recently turned to minimalism as a means of cutting down on your spending- here are my top tips to stop you falling back into your old purchasing habits.
Leave the house to help the feeling pass
Delete your shopping apps- If you have apps on your phone for your favourite stores- either put them in their own file for when you NEED something or delete them altogether if you think this wouldn’t be enough of a deterrent.
Look to what you already have available to you- If you want to read a new book- get one off the shelf that you’ve been meaning to look at for a while or seek it out at your local library. If you want a new item of clothing for an occasion- could you borrow one from a friend or family member?
Have a one in- one out method- If you still enjoy buying things- make sure that for everything you buy- you get rid of something to compensate for the new item in your home. This way- your things won’t pile up again- you will have a steady flow of things in and out of your space. If you get to a point when you don’t want to get rid of anything more- you know that you have reached a place where you treasure all of your items.
Budget- Minimalism doesn’t mean that you have to stop buying altogether. If you get joy from having certain things- set yourself a maximum spend each month, so you don’t go overboard. This will make you a much more conscious spender because you will only have so much to work with.
Put the money you would have spent into savings- Take however much money an item costs you've been pondering over and put it away for a rainy day. Try this for one month and see how much you can accrue by not giving into impulse buys. If you see your money building up this will be a huge incentive to save not shop.
Think of the money in experiences- If you buy this item- what will you have to sacrifice? Time out with friends? A date night with your partner? A meal out with your family? An activity with your child? Make a list of pros and cons if you are a more visual person to help you see the benefits and the drawbacks.
Sit on it- Like the impulse to eat something naughty when you're dieting, if you wait long enough- the feeling passes. If you go away and do something else (leave the house if you must)- chances are you will forget about it or decide that you don’t really need it after all.
Tagged in Minimalism