HOW TO MAKE THE CHANGES STICK

IF YOU want to make your new thriftier habits stick, there are a few ways you can make your spending more mindful.

Make active spending decisions

OFTEN we buy things out of habit or while our mind is on something else.

If we switch to making more active choices, we properly weigh up whether we really need or want something – rather than simply chucking it in with the weekly shop, picking it up in the coffee shop or dashing in to buy after spotting something in a shop window.

Press pause on purchases

ONCE you’ve decided to buy something, wait a while – say for 24 hours or even a week.

It’s a great way to avoid impulse shopping and helps you decide whether you really need something.

Also if you let it sit in your online shopping basket, you might get an email from the retailer offering you a discount, saving a little on the things you do decide to go ahead and buy.

Make it harder to spend

THE more processes you have to go through before spending, the harder you’ll have to think about it. Try removing any saved card details from your computer and sites where you regularly shop – and take your card off your phone.

Now you’ll need to input all your details before each purchase rather than just clicking a button.

And on the go, if you stop carrying your credit card around all the time, only taking it when you are making a planned purchase, you can’t get carried away on a whim. It’s also worth going through the mountain of emails you get from stores and unsubscribing from the endless prompts they send to lure you in to buy.

Then you’ll be less tempted to buy stuff you don’t need.

Identify your triggers

FOR many of us, spending is a way to fill the time when a bit bored, which is a very expensive hobby.

For others it’s what we do when tired, sad or hungry. Consider what makes you spend and when you’re likely to be most vulnerable to this.

Solve the underlying issue instead

IF you try to cut something out of your life without replacing it, you’ll really notice it’s gone – and you’ll simply start doing it again pretty quickly.

So once you know your triggers, find another way to deal with them instead.

If, for example, if you tend to shop as a reward after a long week, try replacing it with something else you love – like a catch-up with friends or family or a box set binge.