9 Ways to Keep Your Spending Under Control

[@lindamcteer]

Amazon is going to start giving a warning to customers who return too many items. I can certainly understand that. For example, a KZbinr I watch was purchasing new drapes for her living room. It was unreal how many pairs she ordered from Amazon so she could try all colors, all fabrics, and all styles. Since Amazon returns can be processed at Kohl's, she videoed herself taking several cart loads of drapes into Kohl's for them to return to Amazon. To me that just seems like abuse of the return policy. I feel kind of bad just having to make an occasional Amazon return. Great video, as usual!

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Thank you so much, Linda! 🤗

[@kenyonbissett3512]

Buying for the dopamine boost you get. I would also add, at least initially is to make a list of other things that will make you feel better. Exercise, even doing a one minute set of strengthening or stretching can distract you or refocus you, it also relieves the stress of a situation. Remember to intentionally focus your attention to whatever you choose on your list. Other ideas, pictures of your goals wether the actual list or pictures of the end result. Call a friend. If you spend less than the budgeted amount, keep it in reserve. My grocery budget is tight. Sometimes I need more than planned accommodate some unplanned event. Even though $0.50 isn’t huge in itself, over time it can add up. Over 52 weeks that $0.50 is $26.

[@tammiepulley7167]

I don’t mood shop anymore but when I did I made myself start going to thrift stores. I knew I wouldn’t find much or spend much but it was still fun. And as a bonus I learned the kind of things that I could always find in good shape as a used item, like a popcorn machine or a crockpot.

[@nancycerreta5629]

I understand that dopamine need by browsing in the stores such as Home Goods where I was last Friday. I should have counted how many women I saw, and always do, who are walking slowly and seemingly aimless through aisles, pushing a cart looking looking for the perfect fix. I was and am guilty of it too. One thing that helps is to go only for what I need. If I'm tempted, I'll put the item in my cart, admire it then have the conversation about why I think I need it then why I really don't. Walk the cart back, put the item back and consider my success. I think this is called, exposure therapy. Anyway, I love all your tips!

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Nancy, thank you for sharing this! ❤️

[@---Joy---]

Same!

[@Midwestmomvolunteer365]

Good morning - another way to curb that impulse to shop, keep a list of household projects that you would like to do. Small to large. Reach for a productive way to curb that impulse. Clean out a drawer, clean the ceiling fans (I did this yesterday, LOL) go through the socks, I also do my best to plan out if I am going to buy it, how will I manage it. Where will it go in our home for example. (we try to keep our home very minimal so this is a big one for us). Have a great day everyone.

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Great idea about the list of household projects! I am going to start that myself. Thank you for sharing ❤️

[@sjordan7085]

The less one has, the more difficult it is to stop spending. I tend to reward myself by shopping local thrift stores that support charities I care about. I have drastically cut back, and exchanged shopping for volunteering at the same store. For some reason it actually brings some level of satisfaction. I do not buy much food, because I can easily shop at home instead, so just need salad items, everything else I can rotate from my stash. Having prepped mindfully, I already have Christmas and birthday gifts for family members at the ready, which saves last minute shopping and paying RRPs. Buying materials and sewing notions ahead of time from thrift stores and Garage Sales allows me to DIY necessary items at a fracton of the cost, sewing is something I find relaxing. Focus more on experiences than on acquiring. Paying all my bills on the same day of the month, also helps me stay on track. Frugality is a way of life, but having a treat of some kind to look forward to always helps me to stay on track and have something to look forward to, nor does not need to be expensive.

[@cindyann5841]

Thank you for this video, I needed it. You know what I hate, when your on a frugal KZbin channel and they try to sell you stuff, it does not make sense to me, I have unfollowed quite a lot of You tubers because of this. I appreciate your videos, you don't mince words. Thank you.

[@debicrites7777]

Thank you so much for your video. I live on a fixed income and struggle week to week always having to dip into my savings to make ends meet. I am 100% an impulse buyer. I do all the things you mention. Listening to you made me realize I can save what little is left over if I just stay out of the store just because I'm bored or needing a feel good moment. Thank you again. I'm so happy I found you and took the time to listen to

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Thank you so much! You have got this! 🤗

[@laurennguyen1008]

I enjoy your videos. Husband and I are retired, debt free, and can live on our income but I still have a shopping problem primarily because of shopping for bargains and the KZbin video habit I developed the last couple years. I just deleted some shopping apps and wrote down our utility bills because they have really gone up. We can afford those things but I have to stop shopping because my husband has health problems and who knows what he will need in the future. I've switched to money and minimalist KZbin videos for fun. I'm not a minimalist but I have enough.

[@KLC777]

Great video! It was hard, but I cut up all of my credit cards (zero balances) and closed them. I definitely spent more when I had a credit card. I agree with unsubscribing from emails! Minimalism has helped me as well. I have a knee length winter coat and an ankle length winter coat. I don't need extra winter coats in different colors!

[@100Stratusfiedx]

Removing credit cards from being stored online is great. It forces you to actually get up and get the card or physically go to the store to get the items.

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Yep! It puts that speed bump in place to make you slow down.

[@sjordan7085]

I find it helps store credit cards far away from my wallet, and only use for gas every couple of weeks so that I get Costco rewards, and gas is cheaper there. Of course, cutting them all up would be even better.

[@bessieoriotis5104]

If you know what clothes suit you and you like, you already have bought them! You probably know the colors you enjoy wearing. No matter how much fashion changes, you can only wear what suits you. If you shop every year you will have an abundance! Try to buy clothing that can be worn dressed up or dressed down. Saving up clothing for special occasions only means they sit in your closet for years never getting used and having wasted money needlessly.!! Also how many sofa etc are you going to buy. Think of your age and health. These two things may require you to simplify your style and number of things you have in your home. How many decorations or pictures is necessary in your home. How many times will you be bored with these things. If you need to spend give to charity, animal shelters etc. Make positive donations rather than overspending. 🎉

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Fantastic! Very well said 🤗

[@bessieoriotis5104]

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[@Peridot07]

Wow best thing I read all day today “age and “health” really hit home for me👏👏

[@victoriamorris8678]

Thank you so much you are very helpful and pleasant to listen to. We did the Ramsey plan to pay off our mortage 2 years ago and I know that watching the debtfree screams really helped me staying motivated. We did all of what you wisely advised. Now 2 years later it feels like my brain has been sort of rewired, I am. very intentional with what I buy, I still use the envelope system for grocery shopping and intend on doing this forever! I get my daily dose of Ramsey lol when I feel I am losing momentum. I also as you advised, put a "me line" in my budget, which is'money guiltfree to spend.

[@bex438]

Hey Jennifer, another great video 👍 It's so true about marketing, it is very sneaky and plays on our insecurities and feelings of what 'should' be the ideal in any given situation - I think most of us want/like the 'nice' things and the convenience of getting them which is far too easy these days, but very often these empty promises only make us feel better for a little while or let us down completely and just because we can doesn't mean we should and no I agree that we don't deserve it either - We can find greater happiness in the real and free things in life like spending time with loved ones or doing something we enjoy that doesn't cost and keeping the money in the bank where we can spend it on the things we need/that matter the most to us 🤗

[@goodenoughgirl8102]

Lol. The first one is my main issue-usually for groceries. Clearance hound. Reading my mail. Lol. I do pretty well with the reverse meal planning thing but at times I can get a little carried away with it. Lol. I just have to be careful with “scoring” only for the sake of scoring vs really useful deals. Though I’m getting pretty good at avoiding all the weird things I’ll never likely eat or use. Lol. I have a good nose for it so I think for me it’s more about feeling good about my “talent” and not just about getting more stuff. Like doing well at a sport or such. I do pretty well with all the rest tho. I have greatly tempered my thrift store “thrill hunting” habits also. I also tweaked a few things with that too, such as I focus on the experience a lot more than “needing to buy” stuff. I take my time and make a day of just looking and poking around and enjoying myself. And then I also stopped going randomly and now I might only go on the once a month half off day to one of them. I don’t see it as I deserve it or random dopamine hits per se. It’s more like I just need to get out of the house and away from all pressure and chores for a minute. I find also that a lot of times I just want to be around people and I want to just look out of curiosity about what came down the pike this time. Lol. I don’t often feel the urge to actually take it home tho. But I DO really enjoy the experience. Plus lately some of the thrift store prices have gone up, so I don’t often feel like many things there are as good of a deal as I would like or as they used to be. I don’t often enjoy retail tho. Maybe I’m just cheap lol, but most of that stuff is just way more than I wanna pay for anything. It doesn’t excite me really. It’s kinda depressing how much these things actually cost. So I don’t go much at all. I guess in some ways it’s a good thing Bcuz only cut throat deals truly excite me.

[@lisettecampbell2138]

Thank you Jennifer, especially with Amazon Prime Day and all other retailers offering discounts these upcoming days. It is exhausting to keep up with, along with the fear of missing out on a deal.

[@beatricealcaraz5799]

Great to see you Jennifer , very good tips I agree with not saving your credit card that way we’re not so tempted to purchase something that we thought we needed. Have a great day god bless you .

[@claudinavivo7416]

I LOVE your channel I lost the count of how many videos I have seen so far. You are so polished. Congratulation!!

[@dora9368]

Thank you Jennifer ☺️

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Thank you, Dora! ❤️

[@mariasinclair9718]

Wonderful work Thank you very much 😊

[@maryhoward-edwards1662]

Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for the frugal tips that you have given me for the last 3-4 years. You haven’t talked much about your house payoff? Will you be talking about that soon?

[@trishacarlson4122]

Jennifer, you reminded me I needed to go ahead & delete my Payments from Amazon & Ebay, my big Culprits. Long time viewer here, thanks for great lessons & Your time!

[@pamcornelius9122]

Those are my two biggest spending places too. It will be so hard to delete the apps.

[@mariasinclair9718]

Done I was just online looking at buying reduced foods. I will change my order. Blessings 😊 Thank you dearly Jennifer for your big help 🙏

[@jsimp4050]

The way I handle my credit card purchases is: if I make a purchase on the credit card, I make an entry of it in my check book. I deduct it from my checking account balance right away. That way I know how much $ I’m spending at all times. Then when the CC payment is due I just pay it knowing I’ve already deducted the amounts from my checkbook. I hope this makes sense. 🤣

[@bella4135]

I do this too! It works great and I’m never surprised with a cc bill!

[@elizabethsydnor5247]

Genius!

[@pamcornelius9122]

I’ve done this from the first day of getting a debit card and an American Express card, on the advice of a friend. It’s the best way to handle credit card spending.

[@musiquefrique]

Girl how did you know I needed this???

[@preparingformountainlife]

Thank you, Jennifer!

[@wandahall4435]

Great job Jen ❤❤❤😮😮😮😊😊😊

[@Rover08]

I like listening to you voice, it's like asmr for me. Very pleasant sounding.

[@bonniekerr6890]

You look so pretty in that blue! Definitely your color. Can you link where you purchased it please?

[@angelwings1]

Can you do a Q&A please x

[@justysiakowa]

So useful ❤

[@rinainlondon8]

Nice

[@andrekeulemans473]

The only things I've been buying on the last Black Friday Specials was Bread and Milk. If I didn't work in retail, I probably would have stayed at home to avoid the cues

[@annissa8959]

Ironic that the add before this video was for Temu... Anyone else noticing that?

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Ha! That is interesting. I see there ads all the time on youtube videos.

[@mariannedressler6784]

I used to love to watch these haul and decorating videos until I realized that more often than not it’s to get you to buy from their links 🤑 I no longer watch those videos!!!

[@angelwings1]

You’ve just reminded me to unsubscribe from someone. She’s a minimalist/clean/tidy channel who did a whole video for best Amazon buys & must haves. I didn’t watch that video but it just doesn’t align with how I want to live my life anymore x

[@alinewright1093]

Old saying only buy what you need. Get repairs that are needed on your home or car. Try to pay with pay when possible. Repairs are getting very expensive, so get 3 quotes, but never select the lowest bid. Too bored clean your car your outside listening to music😂

[@lindseycassick4100]

Did you ever start selling your candles?

[@Midwestmomvolunteer365]

She didn't, in the end it was something that just didn't work out for her. She did a video about it.

[@shirleylangton7967]

Always thrilled when one of your videos comes up. Your ideas are so helpful. I too, have used a budget a long time. It does reduce the stress of where to spend and how much. I always have the money saved up for large expenditures. It helps to keep from using credit cards, or having to do without everything for an extended period of time. Thanks, Jennifer.

[@THEJENNIFERCOOK]

Shirley, thank you so much! Have a wonderful week 😊