Don t keep more than a certain amount of money on you, keep only whats absolutely necessary for things you know you ll need that day (lunch, daily items, etc). Keep the rest of your money at home or in a bank account. Don t take your ATM or credit cards with you, leave them at home too. Avoid passing by the places you normally shop at, maybe even change your travel routes to go by areas with less shops. Rather than being an impulse buyer, set yourself a goal. Say rather than spending $100 on 10 items, work hard, save up and every once in a while treat yourself. You re still getting the satisfaction of shopping, but less frequently and it wont be an impulse buy (plus the longer and harder you save the sweeter the reward).
One last thing, if your job pays you in cash, try and change that. I used to work a job that paid every 2 weeks in cash, which meant that it would be all gone by next payday and living paycheck to paycheck. I then switched to a slightly lower paying job that paid via bank transfer & I was actually managing to save a good chunk of change each month. Its more tempting to spend cash if you have it on you in a store, rather than see an item you like, leave, withdraw the cash and come back. Hope that helps! I know where you re coming from I was in the same position, but the what I explained above really helped out.
Instead of trying not to spend on things, think about the things you want to spend on. Stephen Covey said it s easy to say no when there is a deeper yes burning within. Instead of saying no to a cup of Starbuck s coffee, say yes to a newer car or a vacation. Carry a picture of your dream car or vacation destination. When you are tempted to buy something, pull out the picture and tell yourself why you would rather have a cup of coffee instead of that car/vacation. Make a budget and try to stick to it. You will fail at first (you didn t learn to walk in one day, it took time, too) Keep working at it and you will eventually get there. Write down your goals of saving money on a piece of paper and put in on the bathroom mirror where you will see it everyday. Tell yourself why you want to save.
Check out my blog on personal finances.
www.mymoneyprogress.com
Don't carry more than $50.00 on you at any time. You can't spend money you don't have in your wallet. Also, try keeping a list of items you're saving your money for in your wallet. (that way before you spend, you're reminded of the things you'd rather save that money for).
If the urge comes only once or twice a week, take $5 and hit a thrift shop or garage sale.
