small steps

Here's an example of how I'm changing my behaviour, totally obvious to the normal spenders out there but for me a real breakthrough.

Yesterday I decided that as I love Kat von D I should look at her website, browse a bit and see a link to Sephora for her makeup range. Beauty products are a total trigger for me, I have so much stockpiled that I could probably do make up for a west end run of Rocky Horror.

Inner monologue
"I like KvD, I'd like to look a bit like her, *browses website*
KvD did a make up line with Sephora?! *go to Sephora.com*
Sephora don't ship to the UK...bum :(
Maybe someone on ebay is selling to the UK, I'll just look *open ebay window*
oooh £26 for 8 eyeshadows in a funky palette, available for £2 p+P AND IT'S ON A BUY IT NOW *start to smile as I imagine getting compliments on eyeshadow* I could BIN and pay through paypal, my CC is linked to paypal so two clicks and bingo I will own a ltd edition sephora palette and everyone will love my eyeshadow and I'll look 5 years younger and like a hot rock chick"

But I didn't BIN because I have 4 gazillion eyeshadows, I only wear eyeshadow maybe 6 times a year and frankly buying her eyeshadow will not make me KvD.

So then I was thinking
"Yay me I didn't buy that palette, I could reward myself with a cheaper purchase, *reopen KvD website*
Ah she has a book, I'll check Amazon, *go to Amazon.co.uk* yay £12! I should one click that ( paid for on CC don't have to input any numbers or look at any bank cards, too feckin easy!)
MADNESS I was about to buy a thing to reward myself for not buying a thing, so I didn't buy that either.

I know its farcical but that was genuinely a breakthrough for me. I think I bored my husband senseless by telling him repeatedly that I had curbed an impulse to buy.

A change I am trying to instigate as from today is to only pay in cash for all purchases, whether it be a stamp or a weekly shop I'm paying in cash and not swiping my debit card as I lose track too easily and money physically changing hands is a good impulse control.

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