No.1 Reason why we buy stuff we don't need

This is the true essence of what is happening within us. I've heard all the excuses and have made plenty myself, but our spending habits aren't made out of fact, they're made out of emotion.

Have you ever walked past a mannequin in the shop with that wonderful outfit and thought to yourself, "oh wow, that's gorgeous" and immediately gone to find the outfit, why?

Have you ever spent time with people you admire/respect and they all wear watches, you decide that you must have a watch too, why?

Have you ever decided to take up a fitness activity and the first thing you do is buy all the things that will make you look the part, you haven't even begun yet but you already feel accomplished.

You're not buying the outfits, the watches and the cars, you're buying the feeling of what it would be like in that outfit or to drive that car.

You're buying that watch because it makes you feel more significant within.

1. Now that you're aware of this and you probably have some good examples of your own you can become familiar with and start paying attention to your habits and the emotions that come with them.

Get curious and every time you go to buy that new thing, pay attention to the feelings that surround it. Are you imagining yourself in that outfit, how good you'll look - how does that make you feel?

2. Be deadly honest with yourself.

What is the story that you are telling yourself?

I've always wanted a watch, I deserve to treat myself, I'll be respected or be like for wearing this.

There have been many times that I've convinced myself to buy things that I know I don't need and I was fully aware of it at the time.

3. Disrupt the habit.

By being aware of your thoughts and emotions you can disrupt the emotional buying habit. You used to be unconscious of the why but now you have the ability to be aware, to disrupt and now to choose differently.

You can use statements like, 'I'm choosing differently,' 'I am enough without this', 'this does not align with my values'

4. Identify your beliefs. Write down any beliefs you have about why you wanted to buy it and reflect on this. Our behavioural patterns are always attached to emotions and beliefs and when we can become aware of our beliefs and where they have come from, we can dissolve them and our behaviours will dissolve with them.