Retail Therapy CounterAttack

It happens around now, every year. Theres been no long weekend for three months straight. Usually dreary weather. Midway through 10K Sun Run training, and its getting hard. And now, for one blessed day, the sun comes out. Theres only one response, and its called Retail Therapy. Dont laugh. You know exactly what Im talking about here: the madness of a grossly-out-of-proportion-to-ones-means spending spree. An antidote to boredom. Or loneliness. Or SADs.

My worst was a ticket purchase to England the next day mere hours after a first fight with my then-boyfriend. Two weeks, 2,000 (that would be $8,000 Cdn.) later he and I made up, but boy was my lingerie budget seriously trashed. In fact, so was my whole financial picture.

Therein lies the rub. Retail Therapy, like any other binge, feels great in the moment, and awful the morning after. Ive learned a few things in the years since England. For my fellow Retail Therapists, I offer the following counter strategies:

1. If I find something I must buy, I give myself permission to buy it in 24 hours (or a month, if its a ticket to Italy). This gives my sanity a fighting chance to change my mind. Frequently, the urge will pass in a day. If not, the purchase decision is at least better grounded, and it wont wreak as much havoc, if any.

2. Address the underlying need. Dissatisfied with my home: Do I need the new couch from Libertys, or would re-arranging the furniture suffice? Feeling lethargic: Do I need a ski weekend in Whistler and a new snowboard, or would scheduling a few runs along the seawall work? Dumped egregiously by a boyfriend: Do I need to go to Cuba or wait yeah, in that case, Cuba. Definitely. *

3. Ive figured out the times I will likely be vulnerable, and prepare in advance. Surprisingly, there are good strategies for handling boredom or breakups that dont require huge cash. Friends, small celebratory actions, intellectual engagements these and other ideas are high on fulfillment and easy on the budget.

I hope these help. If all else fails, at least, at least, choose a country with a favourable exchange rate. There are lots of them, you know. If only Id gone to Mexico instead

*Strike that from the record.

Money Coach Nancy Zimmerman had her share of misadventures and misdemeanors with money. After a particularly appalling episode, she determined to turn things around, and did! In less than a decade, she moved from being broke and oblivious to thriving and confident with money. Now, her company, Your Money by Design helps everyone, everywhere, get savvy with money.

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