Plan your purchases in advance. Making spur of the moment decisions can balloon your expenditures. Write down what you need to buy while you're calm and at home.
- Make a preliminary trip before you go on your real shopping trip. Note the prices of several alternatives at one or more stores. Return home without buying anything and decide which products to buy on your second, "real" expedition. The more focused you are and the less time you spend in the store, the less you'll spend.
- If you are motivated to treat each purchase as an important decision, you will make better decisions.
