1. Habits can't usually be dumped instantly. As Mark Twain once wrote, "Habit is habit and not to be flung out the window … but coaxed downstairs a step at a time."
2. Become aware of your habits. If you want to change a habit you need to know why you do it, what the triggers are, and how the behavior makes you feel emotionally. That might help you understand that you shop as an emotional crutch, or put off decisions because you feel inadequate. Keep a diary of your behavior and thoughts.
3. Create new habits. If your spending problem is exacerbated by your weekly meet up and shopping trip with the girls or drinks out with the boys, either quit the regular encounter or leave the credit card behind and let your friends know you're there for the company only. You could even enlist your mates as buddies to keep you honest.
4. Write down your goals or new behaviour. Goals don't become real until you write them down. Pin them to the back of your toilet door, or use them as a screensaver on your computer at work.
5. Encourage good behaviour. Don't criticise yourself. It's better to reward yourself for your new behavioural patterns.
6. Take 30 days. Good habits take at least 30 days or 30 repeats to build.
7. Use technology. Set yourself up diary reminders of your good behaviour using whatever technology you have, be it an Outlook diary, or phone reminder. If you need you budget reinforced, use budgeting software or smartphone applications. You really can track your spending on the run with an iPhone or similar. Or, you can compare prices on the spot and haggle for a better deal.
8. Learn mantras. Write yourself some little one-line mantras to repeat to yourself when either you go to repeat the old behaviour, or you find yourself doing the new. It might be, "Do I really need it?" when you go to spend money frivolously. Or, "The new me checks my budget before spending." By repeating these you're stopping the bad in its tracks and reinforce the good behaviour.
9. Accept lapses. Only Superman or Superwoman breaks bad habits without the occasional lapse. You can either accept that you're not perfect. No-one is. Even better, you can build a little of the old you into your budget. Allow for one latte per week in a cafe, rather than trying to cut them all out.
10. List your good money habits. It's too easy to focus on the bad. What are your best money habits? One of mine is having an inbuilt automatic ability to live within my means. I even saved money when I was a student.
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