If you are a crazy blogger who loves all things new or just another beauty or fashion fanatic, spending sprees are your best friend, when you feel any sort of emotion. Eventually you see start to see the damage it does to your bank balance and statements are not as exciting anymore. Even though a new product has come out or there is a pair of shoes you just have to have, you cannot physically do it without living on toast for the next few weeks – I know how it feels, I have been there many times!
I find the best remedy to prevent lust over those new products is a spending ban. I have put myself on many of these since going to university, as I found myself going for a ‘browse’ but ending up coming home with a million and one bags and it became a regular occurrence too… bad move.
What is a spending ban? Quite self explanatory really, you set yourself a time period that you cannot purchase any type of item for it is like ‘shopaholic training’ you could say. You are allowed to browse, but when I say it this time… it literally is browsing only. I think if you jump straight in the deep end, not letting yourself go out and do what you enjoy doing you will not even last few days into your ban. Why browse if you cannot buy? You make a list of what you want when your ban is complete – by that time you will have sufficient funds to spree without crying into your receipts afterwards. Whilst making your list, you deeply analyse each item as to whether it is worth the price or not. Things that you feel are definitely worth it go under one column and others that are not worth it but you would still like to purchase it providing you have enough money, go into another column.
As your ban comes to an end, you are allowed to reward yourself with one item from your ‘definite’ list as a well done and then providing your funds are now more stable you slowly and progressively run through your definite list purchasing as you please.
Spending bans are not easy, but after one or two, you will eventually adapt to it and certainly will become like second nature. It works really well if you are a student on a tight budget trying to manage your finances – after all food is more important than clothes and other products (even though I know it seems hard to believe!) You will be thankful for the spending ban after all.
Would you try a spending ban?
