Break Free from Debt (Part 2)
By Mark D Peterson

Remove Emotions Now that we know who is spending the money, let’s help. In order to be successful in managing your money you must remove emotions from the way you make decisions. That mean you can’t buy the puppy dog that they are selling outside the grocery story just because it is “cute”. You went to the grocery store to buy grocery and you need to stick to a spending plan.

A spending plan is a very important took to help keep your purchases on track. Think about what you need, write it down, take the time to review it and then make your purchases. Sure you might forget something small but for the most you will have a good outline to follow. And you need to stick to the plan. You don’t have a plan, well it is no wonder you are having trouble. Ask yourself a few simple questions. If I do not have a plan, how much can I spend and still pay my other bills? If I do not know how much I can spend, what am I doing at the store?

Fail to Plan and Plan to Fail Planning is the backbone of a successful budget and helps in so many ways. It will remove impulse buying. Impulse buying is not on the “plan” and needs to be eliminated, to break free from debt. Taking the time to think about the items you are buying is another way to curb impulse buying.

If you are bored and want to go shopping leave your credit cards at home. If you truly find an item that you need you can always go back the next day. This gives you time to cool off and think about “your decision to purchase”. Most people who are impulse buyers suffer with buyer’s remorse also. Not only are the in debt, they get home and regret the purchase after the fact. ( Return to Page 1 | Go to Page 3)