“Well, that was a total waste of money!”

Have you ever said that to yourself after making a purchase? Wishing you hadn’t made a purchase is something that bothers a person in lots of ways. They worked hard for that money, and now it’s gone. They feel guilty that they didn’t put more thought into the purchase. Or they are mad at themselves for not showing more restraint in the store. We’ve all wasted money on things that we shouldn’t have. But how can we keep ourselves from making the mistake again? There are three things that you can do to be more frugal with your money.

Determine what really matters 

Before your next trips into a store, spend some time thinking about the sorts of purchases that you are more happy with after making the purchase.

Are you happy buying experiences such as concerts, movie outings, or meals at fun restaurants? Are you happier buying stuff that you can have over a long period of time, such as furniture?

Whatever you like, be honest with yourself and call a spade a spade. Now that you know what you enjoy purchasing the most, consider cutting out spending extra amounts of your income on things that you don’t enjoy as much. That way, you align your wish list with your receipts.

Don’t buy stupid stuff you don’t need

It’s such a simple statement, but it says a lot. Don’t. Buy. Stupid. Stuff. Do you need a fun new mug with your favorite character on it? Do you need to buy brand new clothes? Do you need to go out to dinner if your friends are, but you aren’t really hungry? No.

Now, you may decide to do these things, just for the fun of it, and that’s okay. But, consider what you are doing as you do it. Will that impulse purchase really make you happy? Or are you just feeding what could be considered a childish need to have a shiny new thing right away?

Delay making purchases

Whenever you want something, it can be difficult to tell if your desire for it is an impulse, or if you want the thing because you will really want it and use it. A good way to tell if your desire has the ability to withstand the test of time or if it will dissipate, is to wait. The next time something catches your eye, put it on a list, then wait. Clean your home, organize your finances, and pass the time.

If you can say, around a month later, that you still want to make the purchase, then chances are much better that you’ll be happy with yourself after making the purchase. If you aren’t really interested in it anymore, or if you’ve added other things to the list that you would rather have, then you might want to consider cutting it from your list altogether.

If you haven’t been very careful with your money in the past, don’t beat yourself up too much. It can be difficult to be frugal. But if you consider the types of purchases you are thrilled with afterward, keep yourself from making silly purchases, and delay making purchases, chances are high that you will be much happier with the purchases that you make.