Here’s an idea from the Late Larry Burkett to help control impulse spending on “stuff”.
-If you are going to buy an item over $10, pray about it and wait three days before you buy.
-If an item is over $20, wait two weeks before you buy it.
-If an item is over $50, wait a full month before you buy it.
I know this goes against our “I want it and I want it now” society. But that is why most Americans are broke and drowning in debt. We buy stuff we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.
This requires discipline and it’s not always easy, but i’ve done it and it works. Many times by waiting before I buy an item, I realize that I don’t need the item at all, so I don’t buy it (this helps me to stay within budget, a concept that congress can’t understand).