Photo by oskay

At the end of the month, do you find you have exceeded the spending you allow yourself in your personal budget? Before you punish yourself, look closely at your budget.

Some people omit allotting for irregular expenses such as holiday shopping, vacations, back-to-school shopping and entertaining.

Others do not amortize their yearly expenses like paying taxes or donating to charity.

If you have not reviewed your budget for a while, you may find out-dated figures that you should increase due to inflation or changes in your lifestyle.

After you have taken all these variables into consideration, another major pitfall remains–impulse purchases that wreak havoc with your budgetary limits on grocery shopping, personal care, entertainment, clothing or other categories.

Here are 4 powerful tips to stop impulse buying.

Clear Out Your Storage

If you rent a storage bin, stuff your attic full of boxes, cramp clothing into your closets, keep a spare room for toys or sports equipment, have a garage in which your car does not fit, or keep your basement packed with purchases, it's time to take stock.

You have probably forgotten about many of your possessions.

Going through your storage containers and shelving units will help you take inventory of what you own.

Sell or donate duplicates, repair or toss away broken items, and be more organised when you plan to shop.

Reviewing your castoffs and excesses can also be a financial wake-up call, revealing over-shopping habits.

Shop Less

The less frequently you enter a store, the less likely you will spend money on frivolous items.

Frugal Living is your new mantra. Avoid window-shopping, social engagements emphasising shopping, doing laps around the mall for exercise, or spending a spare hour breezing through a shopping district.

When you do enter a store, do so armed with two weapons: a shopping list and cash only. Once you go through your list or spend your budgeted amount of cash, shopping time is over.

Don't Believe the Hype

Every season, designers would have you believe that fashion from head-to-toe has completely changed, all to boost another three months of needless shopping.

Stick to the basics in your wardrobe, doll them up with accessories, and be done with it.

If you find it hard to resist the siren song of magazines, catalogs, and commercials, reduce your media consumption.

The less you know about the latest consumer trends, the less likely you will spend money to follow them. The same applies to every sector of retail.

Relax

Just as some people eat to relieve stress, others shop.

If you buy when you’re busy, angry, upset or depressed, adopt a relaxation technique.

Write in a journal, paint with water colors or go for a walk in the park.

Practice deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.

Try a guided visualization in which you see yourself calm and happy in a place stripped of material goods, surrounded by natural beauty.

The best frugalists are not those who avoid purchasing anything. Your goal is to determine what you need versus what you want, and to allocate funds accordingly.

Shave off a small portion of your pay check to go toward those wants, and you will feel satisfied without running out of money.

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This article was contributed by Wallet Watcher