So as you know, I’m making a huge effort to spend less money this year, I’m really proud of myself because so far I’ve broken a number of bad spending habits that I had developed. I’ll do a full post on ways to save money in the near future, but today I just wanted to share one of the things I’ve been doing to keep myself and my wallet in check.

Create your want list….

Every time I have the urge to buy something, I add it to my “want list” instead of impulsively purchasing it (which I would have normally done). The best thing about doing this is that it creates some structure for my purchases. While in reality, I could go ahead and buy most of the things on here right now-I don’t need to. I’d rather wait until I needed certain items or until I found a really good sale before buying them.

Some things currently on my want list: a cute new day planner, more gel nail polish colors, a new barrel hairbrush, blue suede pumps, a healthy cookbook, the new iphone, new vanilla candles, and some colorful tights.

It’s smart to wait to buy things that you want; it wont leave you as strapped for cash when unexpected, but important things come up (a spontaneous girls night out, a birthday gift for someone, an oil change, a new bronzer after yours falls and cracks all over the bathroom floor (ugh!)etc.) and it gives you something to look forward to!

You may be surprised to find that sometimes the things you thought you really wanted make their way off of your list…you may change your mind and set your heart on something completely different! It’s definitely helped me resist the urge to impulsively spend.

What’s on your want list?