before you swipe, slide or click

Who is with me, financially waiting is hard? It is unlike any other waiting. We wait for our pizza to cook, or our airplane to depart, but waiting to spend money is different.
 
Why? Because society has allowed us to access Debt. If we don’t want to, we don’t have to wait.

I am not here to tell you to run from Debt, but rather for you to pause and ask yourself these 4 questions before you swipe, slide or click for your next purchase: 

AM I BEING PATIENT:

• The average credit card swipe ends up costing you $22,000 by the time you pay it off. Now I get this is a confusing concept, but think about it. Each time you swipe you are stacking more on top of that one purchase. You are extending the time it will take you to pay off that one specific purchase. If you do not pay off your purchases when they happen they will continue to get stuffed deeper and deeper down in the list of purchases paid for. Think of it like your dirty laundry. The more clothes you wear the further your favorite shirt is from the top of the hamper. It takes multiple loads of laundry before you ever reach that favorite shirt again. However, if you would have washed the shirt at the end of the week when it was worn you would guarantee having a clean shirt for the following week. Your charges to your credit card are the same way. Addressing the expense immediately has a better likelihood of it being paid for then it being delayed and hidden by more and more transactions.

IS THIS AN EMOTIONAL DECISION:

• Buying stuff makes me feel good. I am not sure about you, but I just caught myself thinking...buying a new shirt would really make me FEEL good for our night out. What why does that happen? Money has a powerful influence on the chemistry in our brain. When we swipe, sign and click our brains release endorphins. Our bodies crave endorphins, it is our feel good hormones. When it comes to purchases and utilizing debt it makes this feel good hormone release possible. I know for me the convenience of online shopping has made this super easy. However, it is not healthy. I have set the boundary that I am not allowed to online shop unless I have pre-planned exactly what I am shopping for. I also do my best to not shop when I am tired, distracted or unhappy. These emotions seem to be an instant vacuum for me to make emotional purchases

AM I JUSTIFYING:

• ​Sometimes I find myself talking with my Husband about a purchase I want to make, but instead of informing him, I end up defending my case. Not because he is against the purchase, but because I am feeling guilty that I am even considering the purchase. I have started to Notice and Name this habit. If I find myself doing this, I know instantly my heart and mind behind the purchase is not healthy. 

WILL I BE PROUD TOMORROW:

• This is a big one for me. I have learned to delay purchases. I know that there will always be another deal. I try really hard not to make purchases under impulse. I really love the phrase, "lets sleep on it." If I still want it in the morning, then I know it is likely the right purchase. If I have any reservation then I know it is not right for us. In Target, I will walk around the whole store only to keep an item in my cart while I wrestle with the purchase in my mind. Yesterday, I had a pair of shoes for my daughter in my cart for a lap around Target only to return the shoes back to its shelf because it did not make sense to buy it. Considering your purchase takes energy, but it is a critical piece of awareness that is needed when seeking financial health.

In our home @shuttoncwreg and I use these four questions when we sort through if and when we will swipe, slide or click on a purchase.