Neuro Linguistic Programming and the debt free wannabe

Asiacat

The basis of neuro-linguistic programming is that the brain is like a computer and like any computer is only as good as the software it is running on.

Most people who end up in debt do not do so because of lack of intelligence but rather from a flawed money mindset whereby they don't think too much about their spending choices, overestimate the thrill of acquisition and feel that future dollars are so cheap.

One method of reprogramming your money mindset is by the use of financial affirmations. These are short snappy instructions to yourself and your subconscious mind on how you wish to view money in the future.

You read and reread them daily until they are an integral part of your brain's money software.

If for example one of your affirmations is "I never make impulse purchases." this will come to the fore the next time you see that latest must have accessory that has a not to be missed 30% off.

I've trawled the net and come up with a few affirmations to start with:-

If anyone has any to add please feel free to do so.

Money Affirmations

1. I think once, twice then thrice before buying anything.
2. I never make impulse buys – if it will still be there in 72 hours I will buy it then if I still want it.
3. I never buy all that material baggage I would never use anyway.
4. I live life to the fullest through thrift craft.
5. I have opted out of the mad consumerism rush.
6. I am proud to be cheap.
7. I am frugal – the thought of living otherwise is horrifying to me.
8. A baht saved is a baht I don’t have to earn again.
9. Miserliness is fashionable and fun.
10. Frugal is fun.
11. I can do with one dollar what others routinely need three or four to do.
12. I think about my money choices more than anyone I know.
13. I know that true value is measured in more than price tags.
14. It used to be that stuff made you cool. That is so 20TH Century.
15. I protect myself from financial predators.
16. I have engineered a lifestyle that doesn’t revolve around spending money.
17. Frugality does not mean doing without.
18. I know that not paying attention to money is a good way to go broke and in debt.
19. I have harnessed the awesome power of not spending money and limiting my spending.
20. I make the right spending decisions.
21. I get the most fun for the least money.
22. I no longer make stupid expensive choices.
23. I live below my means and manage to save something from everything I get.
24. Frugality will put money in your pocket and keep it there.
25. I have avoided the credit card trap.
26. I rarely shop retail.
27. I never spend needlessly, thoughtlessly and run up debt I can’t afford to pay off.
28. I spend my time and money only on what really matters.
29. I don’t let material possessions rule my thoughts and desires.
30. I have a balanced, honest and dignified approach to money management.
31. I know the value of money.
32. Cheap is chic.
33. I have learnt how to save money.
34. I know how to get bang for my buck.
35. I love feeling in control of my finances, nothing is bought on the spur of the moment and I look for the cheaper alternative to everything.
36. I never make purchases with credit cards that I wouldn’t with cash instead.
37. I am in control of my money.
38. My outlook on money has changed.
39. I am savvy with money.
40. I always think for five seconds before making any purchase “Do I really need it?”
41. I am now on a tight budget and previously had no money sense at all, I am now firmly in control of my spending.
42. I never spend a single baht I don’t really have to.
43. I get bang my baht.
44. I can thrive in Pattaya on a pittance.
45. I know how not to spend so much money but still get what I need.
46. I can do with one dollar what others routinely need three or four to do.
47. I know how to gain good money habits for life.
48. I know that a money diet is the best diet to be on.
49. I have changed the way I think about money and use it.
50. I am a money saving hero.
51. I can spot a con artist a mile off.
52. I can spot a nudge a mile off.
53. I don’t get “nudged” into spending more than I intend or into buying something I don’t intend to.
54. I never give tips.
55. I don’t live from paycheck to paycheck.
56. I spend less, waste less and save more.
57. I don’t buy things that will only become a burden in the long run.
58. I get satisfaction and psychic rewards from being cheap.
59. I am a smart consumer.
60. I utilize modern technology to engineer a more frugal lifestyle.
61. I don’t like buying luxuries or status symbol items.
62. I don’t have irrational spending habits.
63. I spend wisely and get better use out of what I already own.
64. I adore the challenge of keeping my monthly bills to the minimum amount.
65. I am amazed at how much fun cheap is.
66. I know when to spend that precious baht and what to spend it on.
67. I have the ability to delay gratification.
68. I am demanding more in order to part with cash which is still king.
69. I have a renewed vigilance about waste and resource conservation.
70. I don’t waste anything.
71. I know the difference between a need and a want.
72. I am glad to be on the path of cheapness.
73. I am no longer a spectacular spendthrift but a champion cheapskate.
74. I use it up wear it out make it do or do without.
75. I have the know-how to live in Pattaya on a pittance.
76. I have learned to watch my money with the best of them.
77. I can live on a lot less money than most.
78. I find penny pinching clever and fun.
79. I like to describe my cheapness in delightful detail.
80. I have deprogrammed myself from a consumerist materialist mindset and instead value what’s really important in life.
81. I live a thrifty existence and avoid the consumer trap.
82. My practical and creative juices regarding frugality are in full flow.
83. I have accustomed myself to a thriftier style of living.
84. I have adopted an obsessively thrifty lifestyle and save and invest every available satang and hope my health holds out until I can become financially independent.
85. I spend less and live better.
86. I do well with less and spend and save wisely.
87. I am not spendthrift at all, there is rarely anything I want.
88. I’m not a fan of material things.
89. I rarely use the ATM.
90. I don’t overestimate how much pleasure I will get by having more.
91. I don’t shop for fun.
92. I know that you can’t buy happiness on a car lot.
93. I always shop from a list.
94. I always wait at least a day before making an expensive impulse purchase. More often than not I find it’s not worth a second trip out.
95. I get as much pleasure from the challenge of spending as little as possible as others do from blowing all their money.

dollybeads

Thank you Asiacat, just what I needed, I have now started using the simple process of waiting 24 hours before purchasing something, and find this delay works wonders, but having a mantra will help me enormously.

I like think once, twice, thrice...........

I will see if it works for me today.

Dolly x

Hanky_Panky

Having been involved with setting up an NLP training company I can vouch for the fact that most of it is bunkum and the 'practioners' are in the main charlatans - the snake oil salesmen of the current day !! Steer well clear ! I escaped with my integrity intact.

In addition NLP states that the brain will process a negative as a positive so making statements like 'I never' really means to the brain 'I will' - assuming you believe all the tosh !

RAS

Hanky_Panky wrote: »

In addition NLP states that the brain will process a negative as a positive so making statements like 'I never' really means to the brain 'I will' - assuming you believe all the tosh !

Totally agree with this.

Do not think of a pink elephant

What did you think of?

I never make impulse buys – if it will still be there in 72 hours I will buy it then if I still want it.

I always consider purchases carwefully ............


having played with NLP and experienced major changes as a result, I do not think it is tosh, but...

1. There are a practitioners who are more interested in fast bucks that ethical practice.

2. Sometimes it makes space for other theories to work, rather than working fully itself.