It’s that time of year again. If you’re prone to swiping your credit card or blowing your budget in December, knowing a few ways to curb your impulse spending can help you get through to the New Year with your finances unharmed.

Understand why you buy. For the majority of non-essential purchases, most consumers make the decision to buy based on emotion. The product conjures up a positive feeling that is compelling enough to make you want to open your wallet. Stopping to examine the reason why you buy can help you determine if it’s a wise purchase and if it’s absolutely necessary.

Don’t shop hungry. Below normal blood sugar can impair your judgment.  Being hungry can cause you to be cranky, emotional, and more impulsive. Eat a balanced meal before leaving the house and always carry water and healthy snacks before going out shopping.

If you are easily swayed by the opinion of others, shop alone. Although, if you have little willpower when it comes to overspending, take along an accountability partner and discuss your spending limits and budget before you walk into the store.

Use a prepaid card. If you know you’re inclined to overspending, determine your budget and put the funds on a prepaid debit card allocated for holiday gift purchases. Leave your other cards at home and take only your driver’s license and enough money for gas and meals. When the prepaid card is empty, you need to be done shopping.

Shop online. Some consumers do better sticking to a budget when shopping online. Using a prepaid card or connecting through your PayPal account, you can safely do a lot of holiday shopping online. This allows you to thoroughly research products at your leisure without the pressure of other hurried shoppers, crowds, or a relentless salesperson. You also have the ability to review your shopping cart extensively and remove any unwise purchases without embarrassment before you buy. If you are shopping online, remember to research online coupon codes to get the best deals too!

Walk around the store with your items for awhile before purchasing and see if you really still want them by the time you are ready to check out.

When considering the cost of an item, think of how many hours of work it will take you to earn the full purchase price. If you would be willing to work a 40-hour work week without pay in return for receiving that item you’ve been eyeing, it may be a good purchase. Otherwise, walk away.

Freeze your credit cards for the month of December. When all else fails and you don’t want to give in to using your credit cards – put them in a cup of water and stick them in the freezer until the holiday shopping season is over. Do not defrost them before the new year.

Call your financial institution and request a lower daily spending limit on your debit or credit cards. This may be a great budgeting option if your bank or credit union offers it.

You don’t have to buy a gift for everyone you know. Be frugal with your gift list. Write down the people who you absolutely have to buy for: your kids, nieces and nephews, and so forth. Do you really need to buy individual gifts for all your co-workers? If so, try to make the spending limit minimal. Perhaps you can also suggest doing Secret Santa gifts with co-workers or if you have a large family as well. This way you only need to buy a gift for one person and there is typically a spending limit. Another idea for co-workers or a group of friends is not to exchange gifts and just all get together for a meal or night out instead.

The usual tips of don’t wait until the last minute and make a shopping list and stick to it always apply, but for many impulsive shoppers – this isn’t enough to control the spending behavior. If none of these tips will help you break your impulsive spending habit, your best solution may be to make a list and let someone else do the holiday shopping for you within the set budget and funds you provide them with.

Article Source:  Jamie Simmerman for Moneyning.com