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Want to save money? Stop shopping |
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Fight lust of the eyes
My husband and I did this a few years ago. It made all the difference in our thinking and spending habits. We have our own lawn-care business and those changes are now a matter of lifestyle. Since our money comes in per yard, we consider how long we had to work to earn the money before we fork it over for those "Gotta have its!" Most of the time we really don't gotta have it; we just want it, can live without it and don't need it. It's called the "lust of the eyes" -- we want what we see and don't have. If we look more at what we have and appreciate it, we won't be so easily swayed to make unnecessary purchases.
-- Beverly J.
Stick to your list
I actually just went through this last week! I get paid every other
Wednesday, and usually by the time payday is here, I am using credit
cards. Not this week. I watched where my money went and where my
weaknesses are. Like most women, it's that quick trip to the local
drug store for Tylenol that winds up costing much more money than
a bottle of aspirin. I think, "Oh, while I am here, I will
just look around." Before you know it, your arms are full of
items! Now, I stick to my list and I have money at the end of the
second week!
-- Marcie M.
Create more quality time
I took this type of challenge one step further. Frustrated with the fact that it seemed like money was being sucked out of my pockets, I decided to go on a spending freeze. On Sunday I went to the grocery store, filled my car up with gas, stocked up on all necessary household and personal items and went to the ATM to withdraw $200, which was to last until the next Monday. I left all my credit cards, debit card and check book at home. At first, I felt stifled. It wasn't hard brown-bagging it to work every day or conserving gas by driving less. What was hard was the realization that I was a huge impulse buyer. I bought things I didn't need. And I considered it a waste of time to shop for discounts. I spent way too much money on clothes, dining out and entertainment. But I was determined to make it to Monday -- and I did it! I had $8.35 the next Monday morning, and I didn't cheat once.
Two bonuses of this experiment were that I spent a lot more quality time with my daughter and I did a lot more things that were good for me. We went to the beach, we cooked at home, I went to the gym every day, I got much more organized at home and I just generally found that you don't have to spend a lot of money to live a good life.
Now I do the challenge one week per month. I call it my $200 week. It's empowering and fun.
-- Evelyn W.
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