5 Ways to Control the Shopaholic in you

Are you constantly bombarded by 'Sale' or 'Mega Discount' signs everywhere you look? But does that mean the only question now revolve arounds "'to buy or not to buy?' Thankfully for many people who are becoming increasingly jaded (and more broke by the minute) the answer to that question is a resolute if not resounding NO!

More people are now expressing concern about increasing consumerism and raising alarms about the environment and the strain on the planet's resource to feed this runaway appetite for consumption. Consequently there is more research into consumer habits and psychology with terms like "shopper's high" and "retail therapy" being looked intoe. 

Here are some strategies that you can try on for size to consume and SPEND less!

Study - Yourself, your budget, your actual spending and shopping habits over a month or two and you'll be surprised at what you learn and may even be shocked at how many unnecessary things have been bought on impulse only to never be used.

Procrastinate - Delay gratification! We unfortunately have become accustomed to 'instant' and 'fast' everything and rarely wait to satisfy an urge to splurge. This is where procrastination, usually considered a bad habit, can come in handy. If it isn't an essential commodity (sugar to put in tomorrow morning's cup of coffee), put it on your shopping list (or add the item to the wishlist at your favourite ecommerce site) and wait a while - a minimum of a week and longer if possible. If it's something you absolutely must have even after the wait then plan and spend on it in consciously.

Exact Change/Cash - How many times have you walked away from something with a sign 'Please tender exact change' just because you didn't have the actual cash or change in question? In the battle of shopaholics against the world that's out to get them to 'spend, spend, spend!', exact cash is your best ally. If you only pay in cash (leave cards at home when you're going shopping and know you'll be tempted to overspend) then you're likely to come home with less stuff and more of your sanity intact! 

Do you really Need it? - 'Sale' or 'No Sale', ask yourself slowly and repeatedly whether the item you're about to drop into your cart is one you really need. Then limit the number of times a month you'll still go ahead and bill something when the answer is no!

Double or Nothing - If there's something you feel strongly about buying and consuming then price is only one of many factors and discounts will not be the basis of your purchasing decision so before you buy always consider if you'd still go ahead if it was priced at twice its current price tag.

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