You probably buy some crap you don’t need. Maybe you buy a lot. If you want to find out just how much, set up a separate savings account and drop every penny you planned to blow on something frivolous in it.
Photo by Philippe Put.
As personal finance blog Blonde on a Budget explains, shopping bans are a common way to save some money (whether temporarily or long-term). The problem is, if you don’t have somewhere to put that money you save, it’s just going to keep tempting you to spend it. Instead, set up a dedicated shopping ban savings account so you have a place to save that money you were planning to spend:
A better idea might be to transfer over every penny you stop yourself from spending by NOT giving into impulse buys. For example, if you’re tempted to buy a few books, and even find yourself putting them into your online shopping cart, look at the total amount you almost spent and transfer that same amount of cash into your Shopping Ban Savings Account. I had nearly $3,000 in my account, after the first year, and had spent another $700 on a new bed (which was on my approved shopping list).
The idea is that every time you want to spend money on something, instead you transfer that amount to this savings account. You can apply this concept to almost any extraneous purchase: shopping, eating out, going out for entertainment instead of staying in. Each time you show a little self-restraint, that savings account gets bigger.
The Ultimate Shopping Ban Guide: Part 1 [Blonde on a Budget]
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One response to “Create A Shopping Ban Savings Account To Collect Your Impulse Spending”
I found one of the best ways for me personally to save was make a savings account. I’d see it every week and go damn I wish there was more and it became a bit of a challenge to meet goals such as, by the end of the month I want to see the balance at xxxx. Rather than setting the amount I was allowed to spend it was the amount I wanted to save.
This is an idea I came up with by myself a few years back when I was saving to go overseas. If I ever found myself tempted by something to the point where I thought I could buy it, I would make sure I put the money in my savings instead.
it’s not always easy to stop the impulse purchases though, so the rule extended to thins I bought as well. if I bought a book for $30, I had to put $30 into my savings. Want a new Lego set? Well I can have it if I put the same amount into savings. It effectively doubles the cost of any purchase, and makes you really consider what your priorities are!