There was this purse I saw on Amazon that I instantly fell in love with and thought “I have to get this purse, it is so ME!”. But I didn’t buy it because the pricetag was over $200 – and I’ve never bought a purse that costs anywhere near that much.
I squelched my desire to buy it by printing out a picture of it and filing it away (so it was out-of-sight and out-of-mind). Well, I found that picture a few months after I printed it and guess what? I no longer want that purse – and now when I look at it I think “Those zebra stripes are so NOT me”. I am so glad I didn’t buy it when I wanted to, but held onto it as a “wish” that might be granted or denied at a later date.
I’m still shopping for a new purse – but instead of browsing online for the “perfect” purse I’m looking in the Goodwill Store for the “perfect” gently-used purse.
Here are four tips to squelch a “Want” on your list:
1. Print It and then Forget It
2. Ask for it as a Gift
3. Go Frugal
4. Just Say No To Yourself
It’s ok (and even healthy) so just say no to yourself! You can make do with what you have – and many times you will find that what you have is plenty!
We get bombarded with “buy more” messages every day so it’s easy to think that we need to upgrade something when we don’t really need to.
Having less helps us appreciate all that we have that much more! Don’t you think so?
Me with my gently used purse I bought at a Garage Sale
Yes, I think so too! I like your idea of print and forget it. When you find it again later, if you still want it, it could be on sale. But I think what you described is more likely. I remember reading about soldiers entering liberated Paris after WWII. They were amazed and of course, adored, how lovely French women looked. The residents of Paris had endured the same deprivations of the rest of rest of occupied Europe but they knew how to still look great when impulse purchases weren’t available:).
Thanks for reading my post, Mary! It’s hard not to give into our impulses to buy new things, but it’s amazing how many different things can influence us (like peer pressure) so it’s smart to be wise about how we spend our money!
Love your tips and your attitude! You are spot on.