3 Tips in Avoiding Shopping Hobbies

One of the most often problems appear in financial planning is about the excessive spending habits. This can happen on everyone, both men and women. Although it is occurs more often in women. So this is often disrupting family budget plan that was made before.

So we call this as a "hobby", because of this activity makes happy shopping. Usually, this is done without the planning or impulsive, the desire to buy something arises only because is being discounted price, or the interesting packaging.

That is why it is often the regret appearing later when it is rational to think again. Why spend money to buy this or that which is not also much useful in the house? Or just realize what happen after seeing conscious clothes that have not been used in the cupboards, the books that are still wrapped in plastic bookcase or kitchen equipment that is still wrapped in cardboard and used only once!

Thus, what do we have to do to avoid the above circumstances? How to avoid all that things? How to avoid that ‘hobby’? Below are three steps found base on experience which are useful for you in managing your shopping activity.

1. Separate Needs and Desires
It is not difficult to distinguish the objects which the needs and desires. However, a more common is the desire to patch on the needs, so we consider that all the needs. Buy new shoes may be a need when old shoes become obsolete. But, buying a particular brand shoes not need but has become the desire.

2. Cash is the limit
Why can we have a habit of excessive spending? There are two causes. First is because we have a desire that is difficult to control when seeing certain goods. And second, because we have the opportunity to meet these desires. Namely we have the money or the debt means to buy much.
Thus, if we are still difficult to limiting the desire, try to limiting the opportunity. Control the cash money taken, get used to only bring a debit card when shopping, and use the credit cards for emergencies only.

3. Change it become productive expenditure
At a certain level, the satisfaction obtained when excessive spending is not because having the goods, but satisfaction because it can buy things. The satisfaction not occurs when using the goods, but when purchased it. To keep fulfilling the desire to buy, but not being consumptive, try to switch the purchase into something more productive or durable. Rather than buying clothes that the price are clearly going down, better shopping for gold jewelry which is price could rise even stable. Rather than buy house equipment that is also very rarely used, it is better to buy mutual funds, deposits, shares or a clear benefit for the investment.

Shopping is not always bad. But the point is how to make that activity becomes more useful and productive, especially for your investment goals. Thus, it still could become your hobby in a better way, when implementing those tips above. Happy shopping for your investing goal.

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