Quiz: Are You an Overspender?
By GalTime .com. Posted on .
By Consumer Watchdog, Mary Schwager, for GalTime.com
More from YourTango: The One Thing He Can't Do For You
Financial pop quiz: Is paying your mortgage or rent each month a challenge? Are you always griping about not having enough money? If you sighed and nodded your head when answering these questions, the amount of your paycheck may not be to blame. Mother-daughter financial experts Carol Holm and Cami Newsome say you might actually be an overspender.
How can you tell? Take their quick questionnaire:
- Have you put off saving for retirement?
- Do you consistently spend more than your income?
- Do you put purchases on a credit card without paying them off each month?
- Do you argue with your partner about your spending?
If you answered “yes” to any of the questions, you are an overspender. Holm and Newsome say it’s easy to place blame your income when the real problem may not be your income at all, but rather how you spend it!
How can you stop overspending?
It’s that darn desire that gets us into trouble. Whether you’re lured by jewelry, property, the latest fashions, or keeping up with the Joneses, you know how easy it is to fall into the trap of temptation.
More from YourTango: How To Get Financially Stable After Divorce
RELATED 4 Tips for Thrift Store Shopping Success
Holm says it’s important to understand how to override your desire. “Our logic knows what we should do, but our emotions want to feel good and spending money always feels good in the moment. Since our emotions are far more powerful than logic, our emotions will always win unless we find a way to override them.”
One of the more difficult temptations to ignore is a sale. After all, the lure of any purchase for a great price can be a powerful emotional force. According to Holm, “Their mind may say, don’t spend money on anything that is not a necessity, but if they find the perfect bargain, they want to have it. Since their emotions are far more powerful than their logic, their will power will buckle and they’ll end purchasing the bargain. Solving the problem requires finding a way to win the battle over our emotional mind.
If you’re on the verge of thinking a “spendaholic” support group is your next step, first try the dynamic duo’s over spending diet:
