Photo courtesy of Prakhar
It was Elaine St. James, author of Simplify your Life, who gave me the idea of the Wish List. That is – rather than purchasing something on sight, I wait a minimum 30 days. I was extremely guilty of regularly making impulse purchases and then regretting it afterwards. I had many of those “what the eyes see, the heart desires” moments, only to be followed later by “what was I thinking?”
Awhile back, I started using the wish list concept. I do not allow myself any impulse purchases whatsoever. If I decide I want to buy something, I put it on a list where it has to remain for at least 30 days. Quite often, I completely forget about the item or decide later upon reviewing my list that I really didn’t want/need the item after all. I couldn’t begin to tell you how much money I’ve saved doing this or how much less clutter I have brought into the house.
When I am at a physical store, I carry a little notebook that fits into my pocket and if I should happen to see something that I want to purchase, I write it in my notebook. It is then added to my main wish list on my computer when I get home. In order to make this work, you have to be strict in adhering to the rule of “No impulse purchases of any kind, under any circumstances, for any reason.”
The only time that I don’t hold myself to the wish list is if I’m on vacation. If I see a cool t-shirt or unique memento, I’ll buy it. Although these days, I’m more about experiences and less about souvenirs.
If you want to control impulse spending, give the wish list concept a try. What I like about it is that it not only saves money but helps with the clutter as well.
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