Why cant I stop spending money?

[WafflesRuffles]

No matter what I do, I cant stop spending money on say, running to the store cause Im hungry for something, or random neat things I see that could be fun or useful for the apt...but not really needed. I feel that itch everytime I know Im getting paid, it tells me "youll have money soon, that means you can spend spend spend!" and I know I shouldn't, but I cant help it. The only way I have found that works to keep me from spending is having my boyfriend hide my debit card and check book. But, something comes up that I need to pay and im like YES i have my card i can get an energy drink at work (which im totally addicted to, damn caffeine). Thats 1.69 a day if I do get one everyday (sometimes ill have a home made cappuccino). I really want to cut up my debit card to REALLY stop me from spending, but I need it for bills and whatnot. Alot of my bills have the number saved, and I push a few buttons and bam, its payed for. Its so convenient but SO EASY TO USE! What can I do? I have tried writing down all of my silly buys and looking at the numbers to try to kick my habit but it doesnt work.. I think I am just deemed to having my boyfriend hide my stuff (he thinks its ridiculous)but its all I have. I also cant carry around cash either cause I spend it on energy drinks, random munchies, etc. I try to leave it at home but I just cant =( what can I do? Ive been dealing with this for a LONG time and nothing seems to help me, I really need some super good advice!

Dont say "therapy" either... its expensive! And that would lead to me spending even MORE money... which Im sure I couldnt even afford a therapist anyways!

[tgigi]

One word - therapy

[SmartA142]

Write a budget BEFORE the month begins. Spend every dollar on paper before you receive it.

Start by writing down the total amount that you expect your paychecks to be during the month of November.

Then list all your necessary expenses like rent, insurance premiums, utility bills, etc. On each line, write the amount of that particular bill in one column and keep a running total of how much money is left for the month in another column.

Below the necessary bills, add other essentials like food, gas money, cosmetics, clothing etc.

Then, below those, list things like entertainment and impulse purchases (I call this my "blow" fund because I set aside a certain amount of money that I can just blow when I feel like it, without feeling guilty or worrying that I'm spending money that I need for something else).

Your total amount should come to zero. The idea is NOT to have money left over, the idea is to decide where you're going to spend each dollar. If you have money left over then pay extra on a debt, put it in savings, or just allocate more money for the blow fund, but decide now how you're going to use it.

Then, comes the hard part. Put your credit cards in the blender and press liquefy. Each time you get a paycheck cash the check and allocate the cash into envelopes according to your budget. Leave money in the bank for things like rent and utility bills so that you can write checks or do online bill payments, but take cold hard cash for your food envelope, gas fund, blow fund, etc.

The rule is you can only spend money from an envelope on the type of purchase its intended for, and you must only make that kind of purchase from the appropriate envelope. That means you only use the food money for food, and you never buy food except with money from the food fund. (you might want different envelopes for groceries and eating out).

If something isn't in the budget, or the blow fund is empty, then you simply can't afford that purchase. The key is to get rid of your credit cards and have the self discipline to tell yourself NO when the envelope is empty.

I recommend a book about personal finances and budgeting that changed my financial life. Its called "The total money makeover" by Dave Ramsey. He talks about how to budget, pay off debts, and save for retirement, but its not boring, its actually a really interesting and easy book to read.

[MKD249]

Sounds like you have a shopping addiction. You need to stay out of stores and find a good therapist that can help. You are shopping and spending money to fill a void so I would seek help because it just won't stop.

[Carol385]

What makes harder for you might be the reason ,you are tempted by marketing appeals and advertisements .I am not saying that you should not enjoy life's good ting but be careful of not getting tempted to buy those things which you cannot afford,Try to use your credit with self restraint because that is the thing which is severely challenging your ability to self financial control.