How do I stop spending on non essentials!

[spendyspender]

I spend a lot of money on odds and ends, I want to stop or at least reduce my spending but how do I do it?

I enjoy shopping in stores or online, I enjoy researching the item and price comparing before I decide what to get.

I try to add items to my basket and wait a few days before buying to deter me but actually I enjoy it, I enjoy getting new parcels and opening them up and finding the perfect place for the item to go or the perfect trousers to go if it's a top.

I have the funds and I am not in any debt but when I add up my spends in a month it's pretty horrifying.

So can anyone help deter me?

Maybe watch the david attenborough show on netflix?

Only buy what you need then. Focus on something you want to save for your help concentrate your mind

If the fact that you yourself see that your spending is "horrifying" won't deter you, no one here 2ill🤷🏻

Buy secondhand? And donate stuff you are bored of? That way you’re just cycling through used items and effectively giving to charity.

Set yourself a monthly budget for non essentials. Put the rest towards something else like savings, house extension, buying your own house, degree, travelling etc. Whatever it is, it needs to motivate you to stick to your budget. Also, don't set your budget too low or you'll find it too hard and cave! Set up an account just for the money your saving and keep a track of it...that little thrill of heading towards a meaningful goal will hopefully be better than the thrill of opening the boxes. Or am I just really sad?!

The one thing that has stopped me buying so much crap online that I don't need, is saving. I have a separate bank account for savings, and on payday I transfer whatever was left in my account before my pay goes in. Then at various time in the month, when I feel like buying shoes/scarves/cushions/plant pots/fancy jam online, I generally transfer that amount to my savings instead. Sometimes I buy the fancy jam, but it's addictive seeing the savings build up. I had no savings at all 18 months ago, and now I have enough for a really nice holiday, or a new car, or a new roof or to cover an emergency or something. It's addictive, especially when you work out what you've saved on average every month and then work out what you could have saved by this time next year...

Get a hobby. I am not being facetious. Shopping has become your entertainment. You need to find something that gives you that challenge. Studying, writing, a book club or tracing your family tree?

I agree with budgeting and doing useful things like investing or overpaying the mortgage or pension etc. And find other things to do, eg take up some hobbies instead of ‘researching’ stuff to buy and convincing yourself that you need it.

Ask yourself these questions.
Do I want it?
Do I need it?
Will I use it more than once?
Can I afford it?
Do I have things to go with it?
Where will I put it?

Have a separate 'random spends' account, debit card, with no overdraft and transfer a set amount each month (or a reducing amount each month). When it's gone it's gone.

Or do some research into pensions etc and retirement age. Depending what age you are, putting some extra into your pension each month can make a bug difference to how long ti have to work or your standard of living once you retire. That helps me a lot, I think ih we can afford it, why not...and then I imagine 60 year old me being pissed off that because I got a higher spec car than I really needed or something, I've got to work an extra few months.

Or do everything in cash. Some people find it harder to spend when it's an actual pile of money rather than entering card details

It's hard to know what to say without knowing what motivates you

Try and ask yourself "is this product useful and necessary or is it a fad/gimmick likely to be destined for the charity shop or landfil in 6 months time?"

"How much is it going to cost me per wear/per use?"

Set up a notice savings account and pay into it immediately you have been paid by direct debit so there's not a lot of spare money asking to be spent.

You need to really WANT to do it though. Asking for little hints from randoms on internet won't cut it.

I buy things for my house, my children and myself.

Things like towels or bed sets so it is used but not essential items.

I like the idea of giving myself a set budget and then saving the rest.

I do own property and have a pension already but being able to retire at a younger age is so appealing!

Why don't you offer to do this as a service for other people? You're obviously good at it. I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't have the time or 'eye' to do what you do. Maybe that would help you? You get your buying 'fix' with other people's money!

at various time in the month, when I feel like buying shoes/scarves/cushions/plant pots/fancy jam online, I generally transfer that amount to my savings instead. Sometimes I buy the fancy jam, but it's addictive seeing the savings build up.

This. I started doing something similar this year and it's felt so much better than the thing arriving through the post!

Have a look for this book in the library. It is all about thinking about trade off between stuff and your time- is the stuff you are buying worth the amount of time you have to work in order to earn the money to buy it?

www.amazon.co.uk/Transforming-Relationship-Achieving-Financial-Independence/dp/0143115766

Why don’t you buy Premium Bonds instead, the money never goes down and you never know what you might win.

How much are we talking?

Get a starling account and transfer a set amount each month. I do this to cover all non food spending. It soon mounts up after £60 on petrol, £10 on Christmas savings.

It tells you instantly how much you have spent and you new balance. You can attach a picture of the recipe to show what you buy. And categorise it.

I also for a year logged it all in an excel spreadsheet.

I have saved THOUSANDS in two years. I cannot believe I didn't do it before. It's a mind set change as well.

Budget- Write down what you buy and then think of the actually frequency you need these products so bed sets for example- two per bed per year is more than enough. I now buy the next two packs. I have a cooling off period and if I don't love it it goes back next week.

Avoid shops where money evaporated eg home bargains. I spent £12 in there 5.99 on a bathroom bin but no idea on what else.