True confession…I am totally addicted to Amazon.
It feels like Christmas when I see that smiling box waiting for me on the porch! Haha. Oh come on, admit it, I ain’t the only one.
I love shopping for all the things and the sweet satisfaction of my ONE DAY shipping with Prime, can’t beat it.
My week does not feel whole and complete if I haven’t gotten a single Amazon shipment…legit I need AA (Amazon Anonymous…see what I did there haha). #facts
It wasn’t until I looked at our yearend spending that I figured maybe this Amazon thing was a bit ridiculous. I’m like GIRL…get yo’ whole entire life together. I was spending a small fortune and by the end of the year I didn’t even use half of the stuff!
I knew this bad habit was killing our debt free vibe, so I quit cold turkey…wait for it….for a whole week. Yes, I only lasted a week!!!
Have you ever been there? Feeling all great about doing something you know is good for you…all motivated and stuff, only to crash and burn 5 minutes later. #helloandgoodbyediets #whatnewyearsresolution
Well, keeping it real with myself, I know that I WANT IT = I GET IT. Even though I KNOW better, I KNOW what I am going to do when the urge strikes. Can’t get my wallet out fast enough. #YOLO
I know that the key for me is to work WITH my personality and not against it…I don’t do well with “cold turkey” approaches. Side note, “cold turkey”, wtf, who came up with that expression?
Any who, maybe its not Amazon for you, maybe you have a thing for beanie babies (haha remember those?), or Nordy’s, or Macy’s, or whatever…pick your poison. The thing is, they’re ALL poisonous to our dreams of being financially free when left unchecked.
Here are my top 5 strategies I use religiously to pump my breaks on my spending habits! They can help YOU stay on the straight and narrow too.
- Prevention– The best way to avoid a situation is to put preventative measure in place to decrease the likelihood of it happening in the first place. For me this means:
- Removing all stored credit card information from favorite websites and internet browsing cache…seriously works, I have been know to be too lazy to go dig my card outta my wallet. #notevensorry
- Unsubscribe from marketing emails…because I will buy ALL.THE.THINGS. They’re good at making you feel like you NEED everything!
- Practicing intentional contentment! When I mindlessly find myself salivating over all of the things I want, I take a moment to stop and express my gratitude for all of the things I am currently blessed with.
- Distract & Divert– This is my all time fave and works fairly well, I’d say at least 50% of the time. When I catch myself pulling up my Amazon app (yes I have the app, don’t judge me lol), I am allowed to distract myself with something I enjoy equally! So instead of Amazon —- > Part with cash, it looks something like this:
Amazon —- > binge watch The Profit, ANYTHING HGTV, etc….
Amazon —- > kick up my heels and read my Harry Potter (I’m obsessed)….
Amazon —- > send sweet texts (or naughty messages) to my husband….
Amazon —- > NAP!
It works really really well, half the time I forget I was even looking for something to buy. So use those things that you love love love to do and put em’ to good use. It works best when you keep these items reserved just for a time like this!
- Amazon Wish List It– Put it on the list! This little wish list is magical! You get the fun of researching, reading reviews, and shopping WITHOUT parting with your cash. #winwin
Bonus…You have a nice little list to share with hubby so he can stop getting you crappy gifts lol, seriously tho, no thinking involved on his part.
When trick #1 fails, cause sometimes it does, I allow myself to basically window shop and put everything I want on my Amazon wish list.
Fun fact: sometimes I go back to clean out a wish list and I’m like…seriously self, glad you didn’t buy that! *eye roll*
- Sleep On It– When you’re itching to buy something, especially an expensive item, take a night to sleep on it. This allows you to avoid emotional or impulsive purchases.
Marketing execs bank on you pulling the trigger when you’re emotionally invested. Take the time to cool ya’ jets turbo!
I am one of the easiest people on the planet to sell, I avoid infomercials like the plague! Its baaad, I own stock in “As Seen On TV”, ok not for reals, but I should haha.
Shark vacuum…got it, Eureka floor steamer…yep bought that too…Vidalia chopping wizard…in the kitchen, Power Airfryer…used it for breakfast this morning, George Foreman Grill…you get my point!
In our home, before we buy anything over $100, we are committed to sleeping on it for at least 24 hrs. This works like a charm, because typically the next day, if I even remember it, the immediate impulse to purchase has passed. Another dollar to invest!
- Spend SOME Money– Sometimes the call for that expensive new doodad is just too strong…and that’s ok, don’t go beating yourself up over it!
At times like these, if you’ve used every trick in the book and nothing is working, then spend a little money on something cheaper and reconsider whether you really wanted the costly gizmo or was it an impulse.
What do I mean by this? Well, when we deny ourselves something we want badly it becomes almost irresistible. The longer this goes on, the harder it is to ignore. At times like this, it would be better to get it out of your system than to keep fighting an uphill battle and going over board.
Let’s say you’re craving Thin Mint cookies, but you keep telling yourself “nope, nope, and nope”. But then allllll you can think about is that cookie and you’re all…GET IN MY BELLY! Next thing you know you’ve downed not just one, but the WHOLE BOX…yeah, we’re trying to avoid that.
In this case, when you realize that you have developed a mini obsession with the cookie (expensive item), have a whole glass of water (cheaper item). *distraction* And if you still want it after you’re full of water, then go have a cookie for goodness sake!The one or two is better than inhaling a whole box after saying screw it. You’ll find that that one or two was enough to satisfy the craving.
I should’ve prefaced that with a caveat, this is a last resort! If you routinely find yourself in the Thin Mint box, then you’re abusing this tactic and need to regroup!
In a society where consumerism is applauded and encouraged it can be hard to turn off the desire to constantly buy buy buy. We’ve been conditioned to always want more, don’t settle, satisfaction is within reach. Have you seen the Disney film “Wall-E”…yea, that’s future of our culture.
Its never been easier to satisfy the craving to shop til’ you drop. I mean come ON…with things like “one click” shopping and the interweb cookies saving all your favorite junk, the cards are stacked against us! You don’t even have to get out of your bed to shop…and it gets delivered right to your door!!!
Amazon takes it to a whole new level with putting your new junk right in your garage! No need to worry about thieves. Cray cray.
Listen, you don’t have to give in to every impulse to shop that hits ya. And with a little planning and strategy you can put a serious hurt on that spending habit! #nomorekneejerkshopping
If you want the financial freedom that I know you dream about, then you have to stop the self-sabotage. Your future self deserves it!
Next time your finger is hovering over the BUY NOW button go practice your twerking or sumthin’. Your wallet will thank you.
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