1. Start Small:
Starting with a week at a time is a very practical way of going about a spending ban. It's a lot like exercise. We need to progress slowly and steadily but what's important is to 'Start'! I have personally never been able to do well with a month long ban or anything longer but a week's ban is a good way to get used to living life without obsessively clicking on the Buy Now button.
2. Unsubscribe from Website Emails:
This is a particularly great idea because every time you receive a new email from your favourite website saying they have restocked it, is an instant invitation to an impulsive purchase. I agree if you love reading their newsletters and knowing about styles, it would be a bummer to not receive them for a while. You can unsubscribe to their emails for the duration of your spending ban and then re-subscribe again or a better thing to do would be to divert all these emails to a different e-mail address which you don't check that often.
3. Setting Goals:
Try setting goals in your life like healthy eating/exercising 5 times a week/getting a good Gpa or anything really and reward yourself with that dress or those shoes once you've achieved them. The difficulty level of these goals can correspond with the price of the items. If you set yourself a difficult goal, it's only going to take a little more work and a little more time and you'll be able to sustain your spending ban that much longer.
4.Keep Records:
Keep track of everything you've been buying in a month - makeup, beauty, clothes, shoes, books etc and keep a little chart or even if it's a corner of your planner to constantly remind you of how much you're buying and keep you in check.
5.Buy Collectively:
Placing a collective order at the end of your spending ban/ end of the month is going to be so much more satisfying than impulsively buying some items and never getting much use out of them. You also get that little bit of extra time to think about the items you're buying and analyse the whole "Do I really need another phone case right now?" question before placing an order.
6. Avoid Midnight Shopping:
We all have heard the terrible horror stories about midnight internet impulse buys and waking up to an empty bank account. Don't do it! If you are bored and can't sleep, try Netflix instead. A much safer option sometimes.
7. Set a Spending Limit on your Card:
This one's for you if your spirit animal is Rebecca from Confessions of a Shopaholic. I know many Card companies give you the option to choose and it's always an option to consider. Less limit means less debt right? It's only going to make you richer.
8.Steer Clear of Flash Sales:
Flash sales can be tricky. They make you buy a huge pile of stuff, half of which you probably didn't need. Try to steer clear of them while you're on a ban but if one of your 'goal' dresses are on sale and won't be in a week then by all means go ahead and get it! Don't forget to extend your spending ban by another week though.
That would be all of my tips for successfully having a spending ban! I hope you find it helpful if you plan on going on a ban yourself.
