" This year I want to be more financially secure and knowledgeable"
2018 is the year I am REALLY trying hard to stay on top of my finances. Moving to a new house brings a TON of financial responsibilities and even more money going out than coming in than ever before or atleast than I'm use to. And my financial MOMager, seems to be on some sort of endless sabbatical and now her duties are mine to take care of...LOL. I am not delusional to think that everything will be perfect by the end of 2018, because this new situation will take atleast a year or two to normalize and balance itself out to a place where I am comfortable and on some sort of habitual schedule that works for me . This year I want to be more financially knowledgeable, secure and on top of things.
The first area I thought I would tackle is my spending habits. Now that I am on my own I really need to change the way I think about my finances and how I spend my money.
[bctt tweet="Now that I am on my own I need to change the way I think about my finances & how I spend my money. Read how" username="natoyaammon"]
I am a shopaholic in spurts. I can go long periods without spending unnecessary money but when I shop, I shop. I can spend a lot of moolah (i won't mention the amounts) at a time in the span of a day or a few days. I do look for deals and bargains but I like to shop for quality and make a one time purchase if possible in one place. Driving to 50 different places for a bargain has never been my thang. It is safe to say I am not a frugal shopper.
Do I buy things I don't need? Sometimes yes. Do I buy things in pairs or bulk because I might need it in the future? Yes again! One thing I do not do well is stick to a planned list or budget. The grocery store is the worst for me. I ALWAYS come out with more than I need and pay more than I wanted to. My dad would always say "I sent you to the store for one thing and you always come out with 10!" LOL
I have been reading up on how to manage my money better and have come up with 9 tips that I want to try that will help me reform my spending habits!
9 Tips to Help You Change Your Spending Habits
1. Identify when you like to shop the most. Are you an emotional shopper? What are your triggers? When your triggers arise what other activity can you do instead of shopping? 2. Don't reward yourself with shopping 3. Shop your stash first! Is there something you need to buy? Look to see what you already have and use that first before you buy so you don't make duplicate purchases. You would be surprised at the things you have forgotten you already have. 4. Never impulse buy! When you go into a store and you see something you want ask yourself is this a want or a need? If it's a want put it on your want list and return to it at a later date and ask yourself if you still want it. If you don't want it anymore you didn't really need it to begin with. 5. Make a list of your planned purchases and stick to the list. This especially goes for the grocery store. 6. How many credit cards do you have? Get rid of the majority of your credit cards and just have 1-2 cards max. Only use credit cards for emergencies or necessary big purchases. 7. Take a credit card vacation. Leave the credit card at home and carry cash. Carrying a small amount of cash on you while the credit card is at home will limit the amount you can spend in the store. This way you're not able to spend more money than you planned. 8. Unsubscribe from ALL store and online "SALE" emails. Less sale emails in your inbox will leave you less likely to click the link and get sucked into looking around at the "great deals" being offered and making a purchase. 9. Use coupons or money saving apps. There are tons of money saving apps like FLIPP that help you save money or price match your purchases.Over to you. Do your spending habits need an overhaul? Do you have any tips for changing your spending habits that you want to share?
Leave a comment down below.
