"My goal was to only pay bills. I didn't want to buy anything extra, but I knew things always come up, like my son needing something for school. I told myself ahead of time that I could "break the freeze" for absolute necessities only. Over the 30 days, copays for doctor's appointments and prescription costs were the only unexpected purchases I made."
"During my spending freeze, I noticed that nighttime scrolling on my phone is my least rational spending period. To mediate this, I made myself sleep on it. I forced myself to leave anything I wanted in the online cart and go to sleep. Unfailingly, by the next morning, I thought whatever I wanted the night before was silly or unnecessary."
After overspending during the holidays, a strict 30-day no-spend period limited purchases to bills and absolute necessities. The only permitted unplanned expenses were copays and prescriptions. Nighttime phone scrolling proved the main impulse-spending trigger, so a deliberate rule of leaving items in the cart and sleeping on purchases eliminated many impulsive buys and revealed true priorities. Desired items kept after the pause were moved to a birthday wish list. Shopping with cash, especially for groceries, reduced unnecessary purchases and increased awareness of each dollar. The month-long discipline clarified spending habits and reinforced more deliberate financial choices.
Read at Business Insider
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