What Is A Necessity?

   The holidays are coming. Now might be the best time to save a little extra money so you can enjoy the food and gifts without adding the expense to your surmounting credit card bill(s). Let's try a little experiment.

The struggle is real. 

   For the month of October, buy nothing that is not a necessity. What does this mean? Only consumables and things you run out of like milk, eggs, toilet paper and dog food. Vehicle fuel is included of course. But everything else you don't NEED, hold off for just a month. New shoes, a new phone case, the dollar spot at Target, give it all up. Pass on the jewelry catalog circulating around the office. Pack your lunch and sit under a shady tree enjoying the fall breeze instead of walking around the mall. If you can, avoid stores like Wal-Mart and Target that sell groceries and everything else that unexpectedly jumps in your cart. Stick to grocery stores to limit temptation.
   In fact, I bet you'll find that you can condition your impulse buying and eliminate it completely if you make the effort. Waiting a few days or weeks on an impulse buy usually squashes the desire and saves you buyers remorse in the end.

   This is absolutely possible. Check out this Tennessee family who did this for a whole year! A Year Without Shopping: The "No Buy": Experiment. I really like the ground rules they set:

• Don't buy stuff, unless it's something you can use up within the year, such as food and hygiene products.
• You can fix stuff that breaks, unless a suitable replacement is already available in the household.
• Spending money on gifts is OK, but only in the form of a charitable donation or an experience that can be shared with someone else.
  
  

To jump start the month of necessities only, try a "Fiscal Fast" - one week of no spending period! Check out my post on making the "Fiscal Fast" work for you.