How to Resist the Urge to Splurge

By Alyssa Laffitte on May 17, 2019

Nowadays, it is extremely easy to spend a lot of money in a short period of time. Modern technology like online shopping does not help! Still, there are tricks you can use to make sure you are getting the most out of your money. Let’s discuss how to resist the urge to splurge!

Image via Isorepublic.com

Only buy things you really need

Ultimately, the best way to save money and resist the urge to splurge is to buy only things you really need. We often splurge on things we want, and every once in a while that’s okay. But most of the time, we should focus on saving rather than splurging. For the rest of this article, we’ll discuss how to determine if you truly NEED to buy something. If you don’t need it, don’t splurge on it.

Make a list

It’s easy to splurge when you are aimlessly wandering around a store. But if you have a specific idea of what you need to buy, you will be less likely to splurge because you know exactly what you need. You won’t be distracted by all the other fun items in the store. For that reason, making a list of items you need before you go shopping is a great way to resist the urge to splurge. If you stick to only buying things from the list, you won’t buy things you don’t need. A list is also a good way to assess what you need vs. want. Be sure to only put specific things you need on this list. When you have a shopping list, you will be less tempted to buy things you don’t need.

Give yourself a budget

Yes, everyone talks about having a budget, but that’s because it works! Before going shopping, set a spending limit for yourself and stick to it. A good way to keep yourself below your spending limit is to only use cash for your purchases. Once your cash runs out, that’s it! Setting a budget and sticking to it will force you to buy only things you truly need.

Be intentional about repurchasing items

Another way to save money is to be selective with the items you repurchase. Don’t repurchase just anything. But when can you repurchase an item?

It’s fine to repurchase an item if:

  • It has expired/gone bad
  • It is broken
  • It is empty (this would be the case for beauty products, for example)

In other words, if you already own something that works well, make use of it before buying it again. Focus on using up what you already have before you repurchase it or something similar.

Don’t buy things that are similar to what you already have

As I just said, focus on using what you already have before buying something similar. For example, if you already have a small black cross-body bag, don’t buy another one! Buy a tote bag instead, since it is different than what you already have. Having duplicate items only leads to clutter and spending money unnecessarily. Before you go shopping, do an inventory of items you already have, and don’t repurchase similar items. During this inventory time, you might even find things you forgot you had!

Give yourself a few days to consider the purchase

A lot of splurging is done impulsively. To avoid impulsive splurging, give yourself a few days to consider the purchase. Usually, your desire to buy the item will subside after these few days. This means you didn’t truly need the item. However, if you are still thinking about the item even after a few days, it might be worth buying. One of the best ways to avoid splurging is to avoid shopping impulsively.

Look for less-expensive alternatives

This next tip requires some research, but it definitely works. If you really want an item but don’t want to splurge on it, do some research online for less-expensive alternatives. For example, you can look for the drugstore alternative to a high-end makeup product. You can buy the store brand instead of the national brand. If you look for less expensive alternative items, you will save some money.

Buy the smaller items

No, this is not referring to clothes, it’s referring to fun things you WANT, like beauty products and coffee. You don’t NEED a venti coffee; simply go for a grande or tall. At the movies, you can simply go for the small or medium popcorn rather than the large. If you do this, you will not only save money, but you will consume less sugar and fat, too. Similarly, you don’t NEED the biggest size of the latest makeup or skincare item. Save a few dollars by buying the smaller sizes. If you decide you like the product and will use it long term, you can buy the bigger one next time.

If you follow these tips, you will be less inclined to splurge on items you don’t need!

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