Since we've been cooped up in the house so much I've found myself doing way more than the normal amount of online window shopping.
Unfortunately the window shopping has turned into actual buying. Nothing over budget but I've got way more scrapbooking supplies than I'll need to make dozens of scrapbooks! Anyone else doing more than their fair share of online buying lately? For a lot of this time of year tends to be pretty spending heavy all around.
A shopping ban can help you improve your finances and flex your saying no muscle when it comes to shopping. It will also help not bring more stuff into your house.
I'm going to be kicking off my new 101 list and the new year with a scrapbook shopping ban. Are you starting off your year with a shopping ban??
Unsubscribe from store emails
One of my biggest weaknesses with scrapbook supplies or really anything is a good deal. Where do I find out about the good deals? Emails. I've been unsubscribing from emails to cut down on my email clutter but it's also had another effect. I'm not seeing all of the annoying sales that I just feel like I need to take advantage of.
Avoid stores
Maybe you're not an online shopper but can't resist whenever you're in the store. This is an easy one ... don't go in that store! It might be tough with stores like Target where you're potentially going in for necessities but specialty stores are much easier to avoid. No one actually NEEDS more craft supplies or another Pandora charm no matter what excuse I give to Kevin.
Set a goal
When you start your shopping ban it's good to set a goal. Mine is to not spend money on craft supplies for 9 nonconsecutive months not including adhesives. I'm going to start off by just going for one month and potentially expanding to two months in a row. By setting this small goal of one month I'm able to focus and buckle down for that set time.
Maybe for you the goal is only spend $50 in the next 6 months on clothes or something monetary. Either way setting the goal will set you up for success when it comes to your shopping ban.
Let people know
Like most things in life it's must easier to be successful when you've got a good support team in place. When it comes to your shopping ban letting your significant other, family and friends know is important. Maybe you always go shopping with your mom and she encourages you to buy things you like. Maybe you've got a loving husband who always says go ahead and spend $15 on your hobby since it's not that much.
Letting those people in your life know that you are working on a shopping ban will hopefully change how they interact with you in regards to shopping. Let the husband know you're not spending anything on your hobby so instead of encouraging the small purchase he'll encourage you to be strong with your not spending.
Make a wish list for later
So much of impulse buying is because it's exciting and right there. If you think you really want something add it to your wish list for after your ban. If it's something that you really want you'll still want it after the ban and will budget to buy it. If it's not something you really wanted then you'll just take it off the list.
Rediscover your stuff
I think we sometimes feel like we don't have a certain item and feel like we have to buy a new one. Sometimes we have so much stuff we don't realize what we do or don't have. While I haven't officially started the scrapbook shopping ban I've been working on cleaning up and going through all my supplies. There are quite a few items I've found that I didn't realize I had!
Maybe you're a clothes shopper, take some time and look through your closet. Checking for items to use and wear while you're on a ban can make purchases you've already made go much farther.
Use up gift cards
When Kevin and I did an eating out ban a couple years ago we pulled together all of our restaurant gift cards. We decided that if we had a gift card to cover the cost then it was ok since it was not coming out of our pockets which was the point of the ban. Maybe for your ban you want to cut out all types of shopping so the gift cards aren't allowed.
If you're ok with gift cards I would recommend thinking ahead when it comes to gift giving holidays. I know I'm going to be on the ban so this year for Christmas I've put gift cards to some of my favorite scrapbook places on my gift idea list for people.
Focus your attention on other things
Instead of spending time looking through cute scrapbook supplies online I'm going to focus on actually creating with them! Trying not to clothing shop? Spend time focusing on a home update. Whatever you're trying to not spend money on use the time you'd be shopping to work on a hobby or other areas you want to accomplish things in.
Thanks so much for stopping by! You can also join me on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. In addition to life-capades and doing it for yourself, I love all things 'real life' so use the hashtag #museumfanatic on social media so I can see your beautiful unstaged life. Oh and on the top of the side bar to your right, you can follow me on Bloglovin or on social media to be alerted to each new post!
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