I have talked previously about tracking your expenses. One result of this is to see how you spend your money and if there are expenses you can cut. I think many of us have got into the habit of unconsciously spending our money. If you take a moment to think if you really need an item, you may be able to save quite a bit.
One example of this is, I grew up on a farm and most of the times when we went to town, we got to pick out a candy bar. It was years after I left home that I finally realized most of the time that I went to the grocery store or somewhere else, I usually threw a candy bar in the cart. This was not a big expense but did add up over time and I probably did not need them as often as I was buying them. Another thing, is chips and snacks. I used to buy chips, etc most times when I went shopping. But now I rarely buy them.
As learned this from one of the participants in the Forum Financial Fix-up: it is easy to get into unconscious spending too when you use credit cards. When you use cash, you have to think more about what you are spending.
The other day at the grocery store, there was a lady that had her teenage daughter take some ice cream back to the freezer since it ended up not being on sale. Her daughter said it was $1 off but the mother said it is one of the things she doesn’t buy if it’s not on sale. Then she told the clerk they didn’t want a bag of chips either that her daughter had put in the cart.
I think it is important to explain to children what things cost and the difference between wants and needs.
If you stop buying certain things all the time, then when you do buy them on occasion it is more of a special treat and an everyday occurrence.
