Every day I am bombarded with "great" ... "don't miss this sale" advertisements.
There are so many great deals. Deals that make me want to grab my purse and keys then drive to the store and get that great deal.
This week I actually printed off:
20% off entire purchase at Michael's coupon.
20% off entire purchase at Michael's coupon.
$20 off $100 from Big Lots.
Double rewards points from Fred Meyers.
I sat and dreamed of all the items I needed to purchase with those coupons.
But then I sat and thought, "do I really, really need anything?"
Every Sunday when I retrieve the newspaper from my porch I can't wait to open it up and see all of those Advertisements. I get excited about the savings I see.
It's like an addiction. Shopping. Getting a great deal.
We've been brain washed to think we need to spend money all the time to get this great sale.
It's hard to resist the pull.
Then I pull up my budget, my financial goals and have a reality check.
I don't really need anything. If I don't spend any money I can pay off more debt.
I have to give myself a mental shake. My financial goals are my driving focus right now. I don't want to purchase any luxuries that aren't needed.
I feel if I'm in debt I can't afford to spend money on those "great deals". I can't let a sale brain wash me and keep me in debt.
Take a moment ... don't rush to get your purse and your keys. Instead look at your financial goals which I hope are written down and your budget. Focus on that until you are free - financially free.
I'm am trying to change my thinking. I'm trying not to be brain washed by advertisers. I have a brain and I'm trying to use it and be wise with my purchases. For me, financial freedom is worth more than that "great deal".
As for the deals I printed, I didn't use any of them. They will be recycled - because I took a step back and didn't do something that got my impulse electrons excited. My brain cells actually worked and I was wise and resisted.
A penny saved is a penny earned and I earned lots of money just from being wise.
When I was doing a bunch of couponing, I actually gave myself a cash budget of what I could spend. After the money was gone, the money was gone. It made me really think hard about the deals and if that particular deal was worth spending all of the couponing budget. Some were and some weren't.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I've been trying to delete all of the electronic ads that I have been receiving, because we just don't need all of the deals that are out there. And if I don't look, I am much less likely to spend.