Note from Cat: I can’t believe I’m writing this but this is my last post at Young Adult Money!
DC and I have been working together for soooo long, and it’s amazing that he’s allowed me to contribute 65 posts to his incredible site. However, it’s time for me to move on to other staff writing positions that I recently secured and also work on my freelancing coaching service. So, enjoy my last hoorah here today, where I’m talking about resisting spending, one of my specialties!
Every time someone asks me for my #1 piece of financial advice, it’s always the same: “Tell yourself ‘no’ as often as possible.” You can see me say this quote all over the Internet and news articles. I really live by it and believe in it.
Spending temptation can come from a variety of places, and most of us are susceptible to it. We could just be watching a TV show and see one of our favorite actors wearing something amazing and want it.
We could just be window shopping and all of a sudden have the urge to buy something. We see our friends and neighbors with new things. Trends come and go. TV advertisements, Google ads on your computer that store your search preferences, and other forms of Internet marketing seem to follow us around wherever we go, encouraging us, pushing us to part with our hard earned dollars.
Spending temptation, though, is pointless. Most of the time, the high we get from buying something only lasts a little while. It’s fun for a second or two until the next fad comes along and we feel the need to upgrade yet again to keep up with the times and not be left out.
I know it’s not easy, but nothing worthwhile is. If you need help resisting spending temptation, here are my top tips:
1) Get Rid of Your TV
I know not everyone agrees with me on this. In fact, I always get comments about how crazy I am when I write this! As many of you know, I don’t advocate just cutting cable. I am all for getting rid of your TV altogether. I haven’t had a TV in my home in almost four years, and I haven’t missed it one bit.
I like to watch shows on Netflix without the annoying commercials. I show my kids their Baby Einstein on YouTube, where I can skip an ad after only 5 seconds. If my husband wants to catch the game, he goes to a friend’s house or meets up with the guys at a sports bar. TVs zap your productivity. You’d be amazed what you can accomplish and how much you can get done without one.
2) Unsubscribe, Unsubscribe, Unsubscribe
In the last few months, I’ve unsubscribed from almost every single promotional e-mail from companies I use. I know if I want to buy something, I’ll go to those companies and buy it. I don’t need the pressure of them having a sale or some “never happening again” promotion to make me want to buy something. There are very few things I need right now, and I definitely don’t want to add clutter to my closet or home. I have plenty of that going on already!
If you want to do this quickly, you can get a product like Unroll me, which will combine all of your promotional e-mails into one so you don’t get bombarded constantly. It will also unsubscribe to some companies for you if you ask it to.
3) Remember What’s Important
What’s the point of buying all that stuff anyway? I mean, I like a nice bag or shoes just as much as the next person over, but in the last few years I’ve really pared down my closet and my possessions. I think living in a developing country for three years really affected the way I look at “stuff.” Plus, now that I have children, I would rather spend my money on experiences for them.
I think we all could benefit from a daily reminder of what’s important in our lives. It’s not about how much we make or how much we are able to spend. Instead, it’s about the people and experiences that make up the fibers of our life and push us to be better people, not better spenders.
How do you cut down on spending temptation?
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Thanks for your contributions here Cat! I won’t say sorry to see you go as I know where to find you ;-) , like all over the web LOL. Congratulations on your Plutus Award!
I have a question about unsubscribing. I’ve subscribed to a lot of blogs, but I read them on my bloglovin’ feed. I really want to unsubscribe from email, because it’s just way to much stuff to deal with in my email and I can’t find anything in there anymore. However, every blog always wants you to subscribe. It happens via rafflecopters, pop ups, ebooks etc. Any advice?
debt debs My advice would be to unsubscribe from every website except for Young Adult Money. Then you can limit yourself to just one blog via email, ours ;) *tongue-in-cheek*
Sorry to see you go, Cat…although I seem to find your articles virtually everywhere. :) I resist temptation two ways: First, I ask myself if a purchase will bring me the appropriate amount of value for the price. Then, secondly (I just started doing this), I actually start listing the reasons I shouldn’t buy something. Normally people focus on the positive and try to talk themselves INTO buying something by building up the purchase as a positive. I try to rip it down by focusing on the negative. If after doing so I still think I should buy it…well….it must be good. :)
Sad to hear that this is your last post on YAM! But, will look forward to reading more of your stuff elsewhere :). The TV tip is good one–we still have a TV, but we don’t have cable. In addition to not watching very much TV period, we never see commercials since we’re watching through Roku or YouTube. I also don’t go into stores unless I specifically need something–hence, I find that pretty much the only store I go to is the supermarket!
I don’t like “real life” shopping but I am occasionally tempted to pick things up online. It usually isn’t a huge problem for me though, so I don’t stress about it.
Mrs. Frugalwoods Thank you so much – and it sounds like you have things under control over there. :)
DebtChronicles I like that approach a lot. I can probably talk myself out of buying a ton of stuff!
DC @ Young Adult Money debt debs Haha I like it! But seriously try Unroll me. It just combines all your subscriptions into one e-mail so you won’t miss blog posts if you have to use them to enter giveaways but it wont inundate your box either.
Boo for your last YAM post!! But you are ending on a high note. I completely agree with the unsubscribe suggestion! I have clients who are constantly tempted by offers in their email box. It’s like being on a diet and bringing donuts into the house. You just shouldn’t bring them in to begin with, it saves a lot of effort and temptation.
Great tips Cat! I’m big on the unsubscribing as I already get enough emails as it is so the last thing I need is that crap filling up my inbox and wasting my time. We’ve moved much more to a goal based budget/saving method which usually means we’re not just spending money needlessly. If it doesn’t help us get to whatever goal we’re working towards then it’s usually fairly simple (most of the time ;)) to just say no.
I know a lot of people will miss you over here, Cat!
I agree on the TV thing- I wish I could convince my hubby though. We still have cable. *hangs head in shame*
And I think the more you tell yourself ‘no,’ the easier it becomes over time.
Congrats on doing so well with your freelance coaching!
Unsubscribing was the big thing for me. I get all of these emails from companies (because I want the coupons that they send out for when I actually have money to spend) but seeing them every single day in my inbox makes me spend more money than I have or should! So, I set up a separate email account strictly for newsletters, deals & coupons, so that I only log in when I’m preparing to shop for a specific item!
I LOVE this, Cat! I am not a TV person at all, and I’m so glad to see you’re not either! I haven’t gotten rid of mine, but I would love to. TV-free days are my fave. And good luck on all your ventures!!!
We have a TV but I don’t watch it much at all. It’s more for DH to help him unwind after really hard days at work and even then he’ll usually fall asleep within minutes of putting in on! I have either unsubscribed or filtered ad e-mails into spam so my inbox is really not congested with crap. You’ve ended a long run but I know you’re doing what’s best for you and your business so I wish you all the best!
Aww I’m sad to see you go!
I recently unsubscribed from a ton of emails and I really do think that helps. No more spending temptations because certain stores want to “give” me 10% off!
Unroll me sounds like a great product. I just delete all those emails, but it does make you stop and think if it says 50% off today only or something like that. I think you’ll find the no TV thing even more valuable as your kids get older. Our daughter does watch Netflix and movies, but she has absolutely no idea about popular toys, cereals, anything that is advertised on TV. My Mom asked her what she wanted for Christmas last week and she said earmuffs!
Totally agree on getting rid of the email subscriptions. They have temptation written all over them. I personally avoid temptation where I know it lurks. If I go to Target, I stick to my list, and I don’t browse. I don’t go anywhere near the mall, otherwise I’ll end up at Sephora. I’m sad to see you depart from YAM, but I can’t wait to see what’s next for you!
Great tips, Cat! #3 is so important. To me, that’s actually my best defense. If I can keep top of mind what really matters the most, then it’s so much easier to tell myself “no” without feel deprived. And I do agree that unsubscribing to all those tempting emails makes it easier too. You can’t covet what you don’t see. I’ll miss seeing you here at YAM, but know I’ll catch you at Budget Blonde at the very least. :)
I actually enjoy unsubscribing form things I hardly read. It feels like I freed up a piece of my brain for more important things in life. Great last hurrah post!
Sorry to see you go, Cat! I’ll just to read this David guy now, I guess. :)
No way am I getting rid of my TV though. How am I going to see my Steelers without it? If I end up falling prey to a bunch of advertisers and spending extra thousands, that’s still a good deal, right? Wait…
BudgetandBees DC @ Young Adult Money debt debs Hmm never heard of it. You gotta be careful if you are using email subscriptions for giveaway entries because the bloggers DO check if you end up winning. Also important to check spam. My wife won a $400 lawn mower (that we returned for $400 Home Depot store credit!) and it went to her spam. Thankfully she checked it that day!
For me it’s avoiding any trigger stores like Target as much as possible. I really never have had that big shopping temptation, even though I truly do need some new threads desperately! :)
Beachbudget I know – go into Target and then come out with 5,000 things!
DonebyForty Haha yeahhh guess you’ll have to deal with DC ;) And I know I know people and their football. ;)
thebrokeprof Thanks Syed!! :)
ShannonRyan Of course, I’ll be around the web and all that. ;)
JourneytoSaving Haha you and Tonya both have a Target weakness apparently.
Eyesonthedollar It is I really like unroll me! It’s free too! Woo hoo!
SenseofCents I know it really does help!
Kassandra @ More Than Just Money Thanks Kass – appreciate it!
theFinancegirl Thanks Natalie – I’ll be around for sure. :)
RetiredBy40 Aw thanks well I’ll be around! A separate email is a great idea!
Thrifty Peach Thanks girl. Haha whatever works right?
FrugalRules I love goal based saving – I probably wouldn’t save without my nice, labeled accounts
blonde_finance I totally agree – very good analogy!
Holly at ClubThrifty I pretty much only buy online – too much trouble to bring the twins out haha.
DC @ Young Adult Money BudgetandBees debt debs That was a good save!
Congratulations on focsuing on your coaching Catherine :) (all the best)!
I’m always a big fan of delayed gratification i.e. waiting 2 weeks or sometimes longer, then if you really want it still figure out a way to pay for it creatively
Ohh yeah those emails can really get you. I’ve got a separate folder so all the promo emails go in there and I only check it if I’m actually going to buy something.
I’ve also stopped buying magazines because they made me WANT things that I didn’t really need. All those pretty outfits and cute shoes were too tempting. So as much as I enjoy relaxing with a magazine, they’ve had to go.
I try to stay grounded in my big goals. Reminding myself of them everyday with thoughts, words, and pictures helps a lot.
Lately, I’ve been just flat out delaying purchases, as a way to avoid temptation. Our blender burnt up and I’m planning to see how long I can go without replacing it. I’m sure I’m going to be frustrated the first day I really do need one and don’t have it, but until then, that’s several hundred dollars in my pocket (oh you know it’s going to be a vitamix!).
I’ve never had cable, but still have a TV. I don’t really watch a lot, but it really can be a time suck. I need to follow your lead and get rid of it…it’s very unproductive! And yea, I don’t easily succumb to temptation but when you have commercials in your face offering great deals, it can be difficult to resist.
I agree with you. Stuff really isn’t important. We just had a flood and the entire ground floor of the house was ankle-deep in water. We lost some stuff. And it was upsetting at first. But just 24 hours later and it really means nothing… it’s just stuff. Good luck with your new projects!
mycareercrusade Thanks so much!
Nell Casey Yes I don’t read too many magazine either!
brokeandbeau I love that!
moneypropeller haha you vitamix people ;)
Andrew LivingRichCheaply It’s true. Hubs was just saying he missed the TV again but I was like nope! no tv!
Myles Money Thanks yeah I’ve dealt with similar things and it’s so so true!
BudgetandBees DC @ Young Adult Money debt debs Thanks, guys. I’m going to try unroll me. I just can’t handle all the emails anymore.