“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need,” said Tyler Durden in one of my favorite movies Fight Club. This is not far from the truth.
With budgets of billions of dollars spend annually, advertisers try to convince us that if we buy their products we will be more successful, attract the opposite sex and be happier.
With so big budgets and so carefully crafted and targeted ads backed up by polls, research, psychologists, it’s not difficult to understand why we turned to emotional spenders.
Emotional spending is when you buy something you don’t need and in many cases you don’t even want but eventually you buy it under the pressure of emotions like unhappiness, boredom, and under appreciation just to mention a few.
While it is not realistic to completely cut emotional spending we have gathered some tips below that will help you considerably decrease it.
Ways to Avoid Impulse Purchases and Emotional Spending
1. Decrease your exposure to advertisement
The ad men and women know how to get us spend. They are experts at understanding behavior and psychology. When you see advertisements frequently, the odds are stacked against you. Even when you know exactly what is going on, you will still have the impulse to spend.
This impulse is strong and can hurt you in many ways you might not think about. Even if you fight off the urge to spend, you may hurt yourself in other ways. Making tough decisions will always give a little depletion of our willpower reserves. This is called ego depletion. So you may make the tough call to “not buy” but later on you may not be able to resist eating that big slice of cake.
The best way to avoid emotional buying is to be less aware of what’s available. If you could stick your head in the sand like an ostrich and never see another ad, you would be a lot better for it. Unfortunately, you can’t completely cut yourself off from advertisements. All you can do is significantly reduce your exposure to ads.
Online: Use an adblock software that will prevent advertisements from popping up when you visit your favorite blogs. Unsubscribe from the products catalogs that are flooding your email with new products and offers.
Offline: When you are recording a show it is really easy to skip advertising. When you are listening to radio better switch to a public station or listen to a CD or mp3 you have recorder. Watching TV on NETFLIX, Hulu and other similar services are also ways to never see ads.
2. Don’t make impulse buys
When you are at a store or an e-shop online and you find yourself ready to buy something that you wasn’t planning to buy before just don’t buy it.
Make a rule that every time you find yourself in this situation you will get 24 hours to think if you really need what you are about to buy. You will see that the majority of the times when you leave the website or store you will forget about that item.
Now if after 24 hours you are still thinking about it but you know that you can’t really afford it, just wait for a week. Make a bit of market research, and try to find a better time to buy it as a reward to yourself (if you close a deal to your work etc.).
3. Be accountable
Reach out your friends and family and let them know that you are trying to spend less and tell them to give you a hard time, when they see you buying stuff you really don’t need.
You can also make a list with your financial priorities and post it in a visible place where you can see it every day, like your refrigerator.
If you want to take this a step further, write these priorities to a post it and put it on your credit card so you can see them every time you are about to buy something unnecessary.
4. Find other activities
If you are find yourself shopping as a form of entertainment or distraction, identify what you are your feelings when you have an urge of going shopping and try to find an alternative activity that will help you deal with these emotions.
If you are going shopping when you feel stressed try some exercising to blow some steam. Rather than going shopping, why not go for a nice long walk. Walking helps you to burn calories and feel better, rather than give you a quick endorphin high followed by the bad feeling of mounting debt.
If physical activity isn’t the thing for you, why not simply meeting up with some friends and socializing, rather than going out and spending.
Hi! My name is Benjamin Warren and I am the owner and webmaster of MightyAdvice.com. Running a site that has a lot of product reviews has given me a big experience when it comes to shopping. So I decided to write this article to help you become more efficient and save money when you do so.
There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.
Living frugally simply means that you’re intentional with how you spend your money.
You’re aware of your priorities and values and what you need to do to obtain those things in life. You can identify the things that are less important to you and therefore reduce your spending in those areas.
So while one person may think another is
“missing out” because they don’t have the newest or most upgraded smartphone,
the other person may not value extensive smartphone features the way that they
value the idea of having money to travel in the future.
I recently had a lesson in frugality when my expensive, popular name brand dryer needed a second repair within the three years that I’ve owned it. The first repair had cost me about a third of what I had initially paid for the dryer.
When the second repairman was finished looking at the most recent issue, he told me it would be less expensive to buy a new dryer than it would be to fix the problem.
I couldn’t believe that to be true, but
the repairman went on to ask me how many of the 17 settings on my dryer I use.
…I think…two?
He then made the extremely valid point
that there’s no use in spending excess money on features that I never
use–especially because all that does is
increase the number of things that could possibly go wrong with the machine.
He quickly convinced me to buy a durable,
affordable, and dependable option that I have found provides me with the exact
same outcome that the last product did. It
dries my clothes.
This is just a personal example of
figuring out what your priorities are and cutting costs where you can so you
can use that money in the future in ways that will benefit you more.
In this article, I will share some frugal living tips that you can incorporate into your life. Of course you don’t need to adopt them all, but hopefully you will learn some pointers here that can help you move closer toward your financial goals.
Planning what your family will eat for the week ahead of time lets you use your current pantry inventory, keep track of your family’s favorite meals, and stick to a budget-friendly grocery list of items you actually need to make your meals.
2. Walk to Work
Save money on gas by walking to work (or
biking) if your commute makes it possible to do so. If not, ask your employer
if you can work remotely from home one or two days a week to save on travel
expenses.
3. Program Your Thermostat
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, heating and cooling account for just under half (42%) of home energy costs–and a lot of these costs occur when you’re heating or cooling unused spaces (such as when you’re not home or asleep).
Program your HVAC system to keep your house at
the best temperature only at times when
you’re home and need the temperature
to feel comfortable. This way, when you’re at work for the better half of
the day, you’re not wasting money on utility bills by maintaining a certain
temperature in your home.
4. Plan Your Errands
When you have errands to run, plan your route in a way that keeps your stops all in the same area, allowing you to drive the fewest miles possible.
It’s also a good idea to set aside just one day to run your errands rather than making a lot of smaller trips during the week.
5. Wait Before Buying
If you come across something that you want but don’t need, wait 24-48 hours before committing to buying it. Impulse buying can be a big source of money down the drain, and more often than not, you will decide against making the purchase anyway.
Waiting also helps you prevent lifestyle creep. The video below talks about why lifestyle creep happens and a few examples and gives 7 simple habits to avoid the temptation of this mindset.
6. Get Rid of Cable
It took me a while to take this leap, but what I considered to be a “leap” at first was hardly a small step.
With Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, and all of the other streaming options, I realized I really was never watching regular television anyway. And, even so, there are better things to do with your time.
7. Buy Produce that’s in Season
Buying produce that’s in season will save you money simply due to supply and demand. Out-of-season produce requires more travel, time, and unnecessary expenses to grow in a greenhouse, and those extra costs get passed on to the consumer (you).
8. Use Cashback or Money Saving
Apps
Apps such as Honey, Ibotta and Rakuten can help you get some money back on your everyday purchases. When you couple this with store coupons and plan wisely, you can end up saving a lot of money.
Using cashback or money savings apps can help you get some money back on your everyday purchases.
I use Ibotta, and here are my monthly earnings
thus far. I’m only shopping for myself and one young child, so these numbers could be much higher for
those of you with more people living in your home.
9. Buy “Previously Loved” Items
Most (all?) cities have Facebook “buy, sell,
and trade” groups where you can buy things at a small fraction of the retail
price. This is a great place to look if you’re in the market for furniture,
kids’ toys and books, and even services (such as gutter cleaning or
lawnmowing).
10. For Large Expenses, Aim for
“Mid-Range” Items
This goes back to my whole dryer fiasco. When
you’re shopping for cars, appliances, or anything that you know you will be
using on a regular basis, there is a
difference between being cheap and
being frugal.
Being cheap is buying the least expensive item you can find, however, this often leads to costly repairs due to the low quality of the item, or it becomes a complete waste of money because the item breaks soon after you buy it, putting you back in the position of shopping for it all over again.
Products that are in the mid-range in price
usually have the durability that you’re looking for, but lack the extra
features that you a) don’t need and b) increase the likelihood of something
breaking.
11. Stick to Your Shopping Lists
Whether you’re going to the grocery store or a store like Target or Walmart, stick to the list that you’ve made.
You can use the Cozi app for making lists–it’s free and you can share it with the whole family so you don’t end up buying two of something because more than one person in your family stops by the store.
12. Grow a Garden
Check out what fruits and vegetables can be grown at home and start your own garden where you can literally hand-pick your meals. This is something that you can do that will keep saving you money over a long period of time.
13. Don’t Get FOMO from Sales
I’m actually currently dealing with a great example of this. Several weeks ago, I was in a thrift shop and came across a designer dress for sale with its original price tag still attached.
I tried it on, it didn’t really fit, I personally considered it to be ugly, but I’m also aware that I don’t really understand some of these extremely high-end designers.
Realistically, seeing as it was 98% off on the
thrift store rack, I couldn’t just let it
sit there for someone else to discover.
But I’m
starting to feel like those seven spent dollars…were a waste.
If you see something on sale–whether it’s a major discount or only a little bit–consider first if you would want the item if it were free to begin with before jumping at the opportunity to “save” money.
You might not realize how quickly you go through paper towels until you get down to your last roll and you know you won’t make it to the store for a few more days.
Make initial investments in things like microfiber cleaning cloths, wool dryer balls, and glass food containers to save money in the future on the disposable items that you’re used to buying.
When it comes to the staples in your pantry–flour, sugar, salt–buy the store brand.
Even for over-the-counter medications, just look at the active ingredient in the generic version vs. the brand name and you will likely see that they’re exactly the same, but have a huge price difference.
16. Cut Up Your Credit Cards
Yes, it’s simple to charge things to a credit card today and worry about paying for them later. But when “later” comes around, you’ll realize how much all of those little things added up.
Then, if you don’t have the cash to cover all the small things you purchased–most of which are probably long gone–you’ll end up paying interest.
Avoid using your credit card on a daily basis, stick to using cash to avoid spending money that you don’t have.
If you’re already in debt due to past credit card use, check out Unbury Me, which is a loan calculator that will help you pay off your debts. And, in the future, stick to using cash from the start to avoid spending money that you don’t have.
Implementing a spending freeze every once in a
while can help you make huge progress toward your frugal lifestyle goals. Here is a guide to imposing a spending freeze that will give you a better
understanding of how much money you needlessly spend on a regular basis.
By not spending any money (aside from
necessary bills and food) for a predetermined amount of time, you will be able
to get an idea of just how much you could be saving.
19. Auto-Draft Your Payments
Having your bills automatically come out of
your bank account will help you avoid
late fees if you accidentally miss a deadline. It will also help you save on the convenience fees that are
often charged if you use a debit or credit card to pay a bill.
20. Avoid ATM Fees
Some banks offer a benefit of waiving any charges from using a different bank’s ATM, but not all banks do this.
If you’re not offered this benefit, stick to the ATMs that are directly linked to your bank if you need to make a cash withdrawal. Otherwise, you may end up paying up to $6 in convenience fees for both banks combined.
21. Upcycle
Before getting rid of something that you don’t use anymore, see if you can upcycle it in some way.Here is a gallery of various ways you can upcycle items that you’re no longer using and make them into something both useful and beautiful.
22. Use Online Coupon Codes
Always search for online coupon codes before making an online purchase. If you can’t find one, see if there is a mailing list you can join for the company that will offer you a certain percentage off of your first purchase after entering your email address into their system.
23. Buy a Membership
If there is a museum that you frequent or a
zoo in your area, go ahead and buy a
yearly membership. Even if it seems expensive up front, it will likely
quickly pay for itself if you know you will be visiting the place often.
This will also give you and your family
something “free” to do on days that you don’t have anything planned.
24. Hang Your Clothes to Dry
Whenever possible, use a clothes line or a drying rack to hang dry your clothes. This will help save you money on energy expenses–plus, it is more gentle on your clothes and will help them last longer.
25. Buy Your Own Modem
While this is an up-front expense, buying your own modem instead of leasing it from your internet provider will save you money in the long-run.
26. Check Out YouTube Videos
If something in your house breaks, check out some YouTube videos to see if it’s an easy DIY fix.
I recently saved (what I assume to be) a ton of money by following the instructions of a short YouTube video that walked me through removing a complicated drain stopper on a tub in order to de-clog it. This saves money and–let’s be honest–will make you feel completely capable.
27. Wash Your Clothes in Cold
Water
Using the cold water cycle will save energy (and money) and it isn’t as harsh on your clothes.
Due to advances in detergent formulas and the designs of washing machines, almost all clothes can now be washed in cold water.
Using the cold water cycle has two benefits: It will save energy (and money) and it isn’t as harsh on your clothes as hot water is, so it can extend the life of just about everything you wash.
And then once you started reading it to them, they were less than impressed–and, despite the excitement in your voice when offering to read it in the future, they constantly turn it down in favor of their same. old. favorite?
Aside from giving you free access to what can only be considered to be endless
resources, going to the library also lets you “try before you buy” when it
comes to any book (not just kids’
books) which can definitely save you money in the end.
29. Ask for Samples
If your doctor prescribes you with a
medication that you expect will come with a high cost, ask if their office has any samples that you can try. Sometimes,
they will give you enough samples to last you quite some times before you will
have to fill the prescription.
Not only will this save you money, it will also save you time and effort on those nights you don’t want to cook and are tempted to grab something “to go” at a restaurant. To get started, here is a 8-step process on how to meal plan.
31. Use Less
You probably don’t need to use as much laundry
detergent/shampoo/dish soap as you do. A little bit really does go a long way, so look at the label and see what they
recommend and compare that to how much
you’re used to using.
32. Stock Up
When something is on sale (or especially on clearance), buy as much of it as you can so you won’t have to buy it again for a while in the future.
Often at my grocery store, they will have a “Spend $40, Save $10” deal on paper products, and I always stock up during those sales. That makes the entire purchase 25% off!
33. Don’t Buy Portioned Foods
I know it’s so much easier to buy pre-cut fruits and vegetables and snack-sized bags of chips, but doing so is a lot more expensive than taking the time to portion these things out yourself.
I think we have all realized the cumulative
costs of eating at restaurants on a regular basis. Pack your lunch and snacks for work instead of grabbing something while
you’re out. This will help you improve your health as well as your
finances.
35. Shop Alone
Shopping alone will prevent you from spending extra money.
The more people you bring shopping with you
(mainly children), the more likely you are to spend extra money. They will inevitably see something that
they want that they wouldn’t have otherwise known about–and half the time,
you may give in.
36. Shop Your Pantry
What can you make out of what you already have at home? Use Supercook.com to enter the ingredients that you have on hand and find recipes online that you could prepare right now.
37. Watch Your Oven Use
This is actually a personal pet peeve of
mine–if you have something small that you want to reheat (or even cook for the
first time), don’t use the energy to
heat up your entire oven to do so. If you have a toaster oven that can fit
the item, it will serve the same purpose.
38. Save Your Baby Essentials
After having your first baby, don’t rush to get rid of all of the items taking up space in your house once your baby outgrows them.
Keep toys, clothes, rockers, and your crib for a little while, even if you aren’t planning to have a second child any time soon. You never know what you may decide in the future, and rebuying all of those items is expensive.
39. Only Use What You Need
Turn off the lights when you leave the room, don’t let your water run while you’re brushing your teeth, don’t leave things plugged in that you’re not using. All of these things add up in expenses. (Use an expense tracker to help you budget more efficiently.)
I know
you probably don’t want to worry about preparing your own food when you’re on a
trip, but do your best to eat “in” as much as you can.
Bring snacks with you from home to have for your trip and check out the local
grocery stores wherever your destination is.
…and stick to it. Sites like Mint.com can help you track any money that comes in and goes out.
As of 2016, only 41% of Americans used a budget to manage their finances–and it’s hard to stay on track with your money goals if you don’t know where you stand at any point.
44. Declutter and Downsize
If you got rid of everything that you own but don’t use, would you need to have such a large living space?
Studies show that houses have drastically increased in size since the 1970s–but the number of people living in each of these large houses has decreased. Having a smaller house will result in a lower mortgage payment, as well as lower utility and maintenance costs.
This is something that you don’t want to be
cheap with, but you certainly can shop around for competitive rates. Get several quotes each year for things
like car insurance and homeowner’s insurance.
46. Don’t Buy a New Car
The single worst financial decision” you can make is buying a new car.
Buying a brand new car has been referred to as the “single worst financial decision” you can make. Your car’s value will go down 20-30% during its first year of life. Instead, go for the “barely used” car and save a ton of money.
47. Shop with Gift Cards
You can buy store gift cards at a discounted
rate on sites such as Cardpool.com. The card codes are often emailed
to you right away, so you can use them
the same day you find them.
48. Literally ASK for Discounts
I recently agreed to have a company come out and spray for mosquitos and other pesky bugs every other month.
The price they charge for this service is about $50 per month and I essentially told the person on the phone that I didn’t want to pay that much. So she gave me the service for $35/month. It can’t hurt to ask.
49. Use a Discount Prescription
Program
If you pay a lot for your prescriptions, look into programs such as GoodRx, RxAssist, or Cost Plus Drugs. These resources can help save you a ton of money on expensive prescription drugs.
50. Travel at Odd Times
Try heading out for your vacation mid-week on a Tuesday or Wednesday, as it’s cheaper to fly during the week. Also, look for flights with discount airlines so you can pay less to travel and have more spending money for your trip.
Final Thoughts on Frugal Living
You may think that frugal living will make you
feel like you’re depriving yourself, or it won’t really make that big of a difference.
However, by implementing some of these tips
and creating financial goals and priorities, you will be more likely to start
making even bigger changes. Be intentional with your spending, and then sit
back and watch your money grow.
By taking control of your money and your future, you’ll be able to stay focused and make progress toward living the future that you want. Start with a few of these tips, and once you see how easy they are to adopt, you’ll be likely to start using more.
And if you’re looking for more resources to help you stay frugal, read these articles:
Connie Mathers is a professional editor and freelance writer. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Social Work. When she is not writing, Connie is either spending time with her daughter and two dogs, running, or working at her full-time job as a social worker in Richmond, VA.
Reaching Small Businesses with TikTok – Brett Sussman’s team at Kabbage from American Express is dedicated to highlighting and amplifying Small Business Owners. The most recent way of doing so is by forging a unique partnership with TikTok that offers eligible small businesses incentives for advertising on the app.
Social Media as a Commerce Tool – More than half of Small Business Owners who are not currently on TikTok agree that they would be able to attract more new customers if their business had a presence on the app. Brett Sussman and his team are willing and able to provide data that solidifies the various benefits for Small Business Owners using the app.
Elevator (Campaign) Pitches – An effective campaign is a difficult task to accomplish. In today’s multichannel environment, Brett Sussman and Kabbage believe finding the correct need for their partners is indispensable, but it has to be easily understood and explained.
***
Brett Sussman of Kabbage from American Express has embraced the new economy and is determined to help small business owners adapt to how people learn and buy.
Kabbage from American Express teamed up with TikTok in the holiday season to offer eligible small businesses a $100 ad credit to use on the app after they spend $50 on their first TikTok Ad campaign.
Data pulled from the American Express Small Business Holiday Report shows that 7 out of 10 business owners say that their customers rely on their social media channels for news. And almost 90 percent say it has helped them acquire customers this past year.
Social media is playing an increasingly important role in businesses, specifically small businesses.
“We’re actually seeing, which is really exciting, that the whole experience of commerce is being accelerated on these platforms.” says Sales and Marketing Executive Brett Sussman to Restaurant Influencers podcast host Shawn P. Walchef of CaliBBQ Media.
“You’re going to do your search, ask recommendations, and buy maybe in one or two sessions versus over three weeks, going to different websites. And so that acceleration is really important for small business owners to be in that conversation.”
Enter the Kabbage Shop Small Accelerator campaign powered by TikTok. The goal with the Accelerator initiative is to provide tips to small business owners to help the optimal usage out of the app. American Express also created the Small Business Saturday marketing initiative.
“So this collaboration with TikTok really is that we work closely with the set of creators to say, what are some of those tips and tricks if you want to get your small business owner on TikTok.” explains Brett Sussman.
“There” being present on TikTok, which, despite its immense growth is still considered a non-traditional marketing strategy.
The novelty of TikTok and its perception as a tool for the younger generation has made marketing traditionalists hesitant and some small business owners reluctant to incorporate it into their business model.
Regardless of trepidation, over half of small business owners who are not currently on TikTok agree that they would be able to attract more new customers if their business had a presence on the app, according to the AMEX report.
“Right now, if you go to shop Small Accelerator, there are a series of tools from American Express on how to improve your community, your social media presence from some great creators who have done it well, small business owners and non-small business owners.”
Along with its TikTok partnership, AMEX is also kicking off a new initiative this year, a Kabbage Funding offer, which includes a $250 incentive. This gives small businesses cash flow support to invest in their social and marketing.
The future of shopping is online.
“When you look at demographics, we see that both Gen Z and Millennials are spending an outsized amount of time on TikTok and really looking to make purchase decisions on TikTok. And so it’s really for you to be there in a meaningful way.
***
NOMINATE A RESTAURANT INFLUENCER — Do you know someone who is killing it on social media? Let us know by emailing influencers@calibbq.media or sending the @calibbqmedia team a DM on social media.
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