How to resist buying things...

Paragon

There are a number of things that I would like to buy, but which I don't really need. Since I'm in debt I can't justify buying them. However, thanks to the internet I find myself looking for these things as cheap as possible, and in the process I think about them a lot and eventually end up buying them! Its not really compulsive buying, but over a long period of time I end up talking myself into buying... any ideas how I can stop/control this?!!:cool:

G-G_4

I always try to imagine how long I have had to work in a boring job to be able to buy it.. That usually puts me right off!

lilian1977

Don't register your payment card on any of these sites, and leave the payment card at home. It's all too easy with sites like Amazon and Play to do the one click purchasing!

|Good luck! x

**Amy**

Hiya

Damn the internet! :rotfl:

Well what i would say is try and work out how much that item could take off your debt free date, or have you got a bigger goal you are working towards?

For instance i would like to buy a house, and so i know i have to pay off debts and get some savings. I then comapre the item (most recently a Wii :rotfl: ) against owning my own home within 12 months... and think... its not worth it.

I like GGs idea as well. Work out how many days/hours at your job you would have to work to pay for it.

Troubled_Joe

Enforce a cooling off period on yourself....

For everything over say £10 or £20 - don't buy when you see or want it - make yourself wait 24 hours and see how much you still think you need/want it.

Paragon

Ha ha! Thanks all, unfortunately my card is registered with amazon, ebay, ebuyer and paypal because I buy quite a bit on-line, but most of it is essential stuff that would cost a lot more in the shops, ie toiletries, batteries, etc.

(Un)fortunately (!) I am lucky to have a dream job that I love doing, with the added advantage that it pays well - so it won't take me long to earn enough to buy this item, but that's not to say its easy to get out of debt though I am making steady progress.

Finally, I like the idea of an enforced cooling off period... but 24hrs is way too short for me!! I need ages. In fact I've been lusting after a new watch since Christmas, and thus far have avoided buying it, but I still want it, and it remains in my ebay watch list...! Tough isn't it?! I wonder if hypnosis would work!?

sparrer

I just think about how many years I've managed without the item, which suddenly puts it all into perspective - if I haven't suffered for not having it for the last xx years, I'm hardly likely to now, am I? :rolleyes:

Bottom line is life isn't about possessions but about people. No-one is going to think better of you for owning the item (and if they do, drop them like a hot cake! :rotfl: )

G-G_4

Troubled_Joe wrote: »

Enforce a cooling off period on yourself....

For everything over say £10 or £20 - don't buy when you see or want it - make yourself wait 24 hours and see how much you still think you need/want it.

OH always says this when I want something!

'If you still want it next week then we will get it' :mad:

Works tho! Because by the next week I usually want something else... :rotfl:

Charis

Why not allow yourself the occasional treat but meantime put the tempting objects on a 'wants' list? At the end of the month, allow yourself one purchase, within a predefined limit, chosen by you, that you can make guilt free. Your reward for your restraint.

You'll probably find yourself crossing most things off that list before the month is up. The real problem is not so much the temptation to own things as the feeling that you are being stopped from enjoying your own money.

That flush of excitement you get just after a purchase very seldom lasts, as you will realise if you look back at some of your previous impulse buys. It might also help you to keep to your budget if you are saving towards a long term dream.

newsgroup_monkey

Joe: This is ace advice. My better half suggested this earlier this year. I tend to buy very small items - £3 DVDs and such like. Problem is, when you buy 20 of these a month (as I did a few years ago), it becomes a bit of a problem! She suggested that I go without. If I want to buy anything, not only do I think about it now for 24 hours, I ask her and she thinks about it. If it's not mentioned or she suggests we could do better things with the money, then it's a no.

Ask yourself, Will your life improve if you don't have that item?

Even if you don't owe anything now, the big D can creep up on us at any time.

shopaholic2008

I would deff agree with the cooling off period ~

I have a littlewoods direct account and as soon as the magazine comes through i throw it straight out. However its all too easy to buy it on the internet. If i do find myself looking i always wait at least 24 hours ive usually forgotten about it by then or have seen sense and realised how unnecessary it is. It helps to click away from the site and post on here ~ that usually makes me see sense