Why do I ALWAYS want to buy something?

When I do not want to buy something, I picture one-hundred different people having the same thing. Or, if I happen to really dislike a person I will imagine him with that item, and its value will disappear and I can very easily walk away.

Another option: think about how long it took you to earn the money you’re about to spend.

As for WHY: are you trying to distract yourself from something you know you should put much more attention to?

What are we talking about here- are you buying a snack every time you fill up your gas tank or are you racking up thousands of dollars buying things on ebay? The first step I would take is to talk about this with the physician that prescribed your medicine. Spending tons of money is a red flag for certain disorders/diseases. Let them know the meds helped when you were on them.

There is only one way to avoid spending money when you are in that position. My son found that he could have his pay sent directly to a savings bank, and he could then only spend what was left. It really came in handy when he was ‘fired’ from the Navy.

Ask yourself if you really need it. Do you need it right now? Where am I going to put it? What am I going to do with it? How will I feel when I own it? By the time you’ve asked and asnwered all those questions, you’ll have kind of talked yourself out of it. Kind of like when you hold on to something and walk through a store for too long. You lose interest in it. It’s a will power thing. Or you could open a Roth IRA.

My hubby has helped me to avoid unwanted purchases by saying “Let’s get it tomorrow”.

The impulse to buy is usually the same impulse to eat. We think its going to bring some happiness to our lives only in the end, both bring us misery when it its over done.
1. Only go shopping when you have a long list of things to buy. Otherwise avoid the stores.
2. Carry no credit cards and a limited amount of money. Only enough for what you went out to purchase and no more.
3. If you find yourself in the store with a credit card and you can’t resist a sale. Ask yourself, how much is it really going to be a sale after you pay it off with the interest?
4. Ask yourself after the purchase, how long before you forget you even bought the item. My sister in law has a thing for shoes. She buys a lot but only wears a few faithfully because of the comfort. The rest sit and collect dust for years.
5. If buying something not necessary for the house, think of it being one more thing you have to clean.
6. Make it a rule that if you really can’t resist buying something that you can’t go and purchase it till you go home and throw something out. So you see a really cute dress. You have to go home and get rid of a dress or 2 dresses that you no longer wear, before you buy something else.
7. Tell yourself there is no room in the house for this item. Especially if it is big.
The best and easiest thing that worked for me is that I usually hate to buy something impulsively.
I usually find that a few days later I will either find the item cheaper or something of equal value that I like a lot better that makes the first purchase seem a waste of cash. So I tell myself I’ll go home and research it a little and see if I can find something of equal value a bit cheaper. I find once I go home I usually loose the impulse to go back and get it.
Once I do start to research it it will usually take a week to a month before I make a smart purchase vise an impulsive one.
Example. I almost bought a camera without comparing specs on line because of a sale. After researching it I found that there were cameras that had better specs and cheaper prices. Then once I found exactly what I was looking for I realized a sale was around the corner. I was able to buy a better camera for cheaper than the original camera I wanted to buy and save $100 more on what I wanted.

This method pays you to buy slower:

Whatever you want to buy, send an equal amount into your savings first, then buy it. That way, you’re always earning 100% tax on all your purchases. Monitor the growth of your money like you would water a plant.

Like it or not, self control is the answer. Don’t be a person who only has it with the help of a pill. Find something to keep yourself busy and your mind off of buying. You can do it——- I think I can, I think I can.

Thanks to all you who answered. I’ve been trying to save 250 bucks per paycheck for an emergency, today instead of buying something stupid, I actually got myself an AC for my room. I took a psych eval today, and I got to take another one before I actually see the therapist, so I hope I can find something out soon. Someone said it already, but I really dont want to be dependent on any pills!!!

don’t try to save money in your chequing account where you have unlimited access to it. it must be in another account, preferably one that has a withdrawl restriction on it. This is what people who save do.