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This is part of my Controlling Your Shopping series. If you haven’t read the previous ones, click ‘superficial’ in the categories section. A great way to save money that I have tried is spending half of your weekly paycheck a week. The other half MUST stay in your savings account and can never be touched. My friendly told me that people should only have to put $50 into their savings account a week. Why $50 when you can put 50%. I know it won’t be the same circumstance for everybody which is why there will be a part 2. If you are a college student (which is what this piece is aiming towards but I’m sure other people can take something out of this too) and you don’t have to pay rent, you might make around $210 a week. That means every week you can only spend $105. If you made $400 that week because you worked more hours or it was a public holiday, you can only spend $200. No more, no less. Use a notebook to record your spending. Take it with you everywhere. Record everything that you ate, drank, and bought. My good shopaholic friend has a tiny notebook where she writes all her expenses and her shopping lists and she’s doing a lot better.
After a month you’ll receive your bank statement and you’ll smile with glee with how much you DID NOT SPEND. Look how much money you’ve gained into your savings account. After your first reaction, your next goal is to keep watching it increase instead of decrease. You will be more reluctant to spend. You will take the time to think about the things that you really need.
When I’m bored, I like to walk around malls/shopping centres and buy something. I love so many things I see! A book! A CD I don’t really need but looks appealing to listen. A movie than I already own but this has extra features! A dress that looks okay but it’s so cheap. There are many options.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that shops when she or sometimes he is bored. I find during university time, I don’t shop as much as I could. Why? Because I don’t have time. I only make that time if I truly want something.
How to control your shopping? Stay occupied. Pick a hobbie! Go to the gym. Excercise. Dance. Read a book.
When you pick a hobbie, make sure it’s something you don’t have to buy extra equipment. What do you have at home that you can use? If you really are a shoppaholic, you have tones of choices. Just pick something.
For those that know what they want and need.
1. Writing the List
List down every item you plan on purchasing. Absolutely everything. Here is an example of my own:
- Paint brushes
- Oil paints
- Clam lights for short films and photography
- A nice camera (top end digital camera or a good beginners SLR)
- Red shoes
- Black shoes
- Green vintage inspired flats from Joanne Mercer.
- Shorts
- White tops
- Hand exfoliate
- Ballet shoes
- Pretty fabrics for dresses
- Italian Vogue (I can’t read it but the clothes are lovely)
- Cleanser and Moisturizer and Exfoliate from ‘Simple’
Your list is probably as long as mine or even worse. Hey, if you shopaholics had all the money in the world, you would buy everything you see, right? Even Michael Jackson couldn’t control his spending. God rest his soul.
Circle the items that you must need immediately and why!
- Fabrics (I need to create my Halloween costume)
- Red shoes (Halloween)
- Green vintage or black flats (half off when you buy one pair of red shoes)
- Ballet shoes (My ballet teacher wont like it if I don’t start dancing in proper footwear than in socks or bare feat.)
Reasons that are not acceptable:
- Paint brushes (I want to strive towards my goal) – I already have a few paint brushes that I can use for now. Those can wait.
- Italian Vogue (It’s going to run out!) – It wont run out. Not everybody reads Italian magazine or buys it for the images. If it does run out, there will be a new issue, which is even better.
- White tops (They will go nicely with the new skirts I bought) – It’s not that hot. You can wait.
Does the total cost of the items you need immediately fall under your budget?
I assume so, unless the Ballet shoes are rediculously expensive. If they are . . . mother, will you buy me my Ballet shoes, pretty please?
Are you happy with your list?
Yes. Very.
Now create a list for next week. If your current list exceeds your budget, you should make yourself not buy anything for a week. Instead the second list you create should be for the week after.
I write up shopping list all the time. I don’t follow it strictly, it’s just a guide, so relax. A shopping list is not for you to rush out and purchase right away, take your time with it because a lot of the time you’ll be scratching off items off the list because you don’t want them anymore. I find this method helpful when I get a headache just thinking about all the things that I want. This brings me back to earth. I hope this helps you too.
Inspired by : Shopping Abroad
I went to shop at Queen Victoria Market today (because I love it there) and I walked into a Bath and Body store which I believe they simply call ‘The Parlour’. They sell perfumes too. It appears quite similar to the Body Shop.
I purchased Sohum’s Lychee Sea Salt Body Scrub for $39.50 (AU). Sentiments.com.au claims that this will give you baby smooth skin so I will be posting its effects after two weeks of usage. This scrub is very thick but the scent is absolutely divine!
Presently, I am using Britney Spear’s Midnight Fantasy 100ml and I love the scent as it reminds me of sweet, sweet candy. Although I am pleased with Midnight Fantasy being my scent for the season, I am interested in Sohum’s Perfumettes. Contained in a lipstick tube-type jar at the cost of $24.95 (AU), it is quite dear.
Don’t they all sound delicious?
On Monday I went shopping with my old best friend. We both found out on the day she only had thirty dollars on her card! When I’m shopping with someone who’s an easy spender, I normally purchase more than when someone can’t spend on more than one thing. Okay, when you only have thirty dollars, I’m pretty sure that’s screaming at you to stop spending and start saving!
For my friend, thirty dollars meant; spend every dollar so I end up with nothing.
What can you spend with thirty dollars (AUS) anyway?
Girls
- You can get a plain shirt for ten dollars. Dressier styles have to be on sale.
- Rimmel’s eyeliner pencils are only six dollars!
- Five dollars can purchase you two sushi rolls for lunch which is enough for me.
- There’s a really cheap jewellery store at Melbourne Central that sells earrings for three dollars and less.
That’s a total of 25 dollars. You can buy a drink with the five dollars.
Boys
- An album or a DVD or a cheap PS2/Nintendo DS game
- Boys don’t really shop. They’re better at saving …
Spend your money wisely.
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