Curbing your impulse buying when you are shopping with kids isn’t always easy. In fact, many people buy on impulse with out even realizing it is happening. It’s when they get home that they wonder what happened to all that careful preparation that was supposed to help balance their income and bills.
The most common place to impulse buy is the grocery store and I find when I am shopping with kids it’s even easier than when I am alone. I’ve learned two very helpful things about food shopping. The first is, don’t go hungry and the second is make a list and stick to it. When you are hungry it is easy to stray from your shopping list. All those specials and display products look so good when you are hungry. Don’t give into those cravings, eat first and shop second.
Of course, everyone’s food list needs some treats on it, so plan accordingly.
When you are going shopping with kids let everyone add a favorite snack to the list. Try and find coupons for those snack items to save some extra money. It pays in the long run to add a few treats and snacks to your weekly food list because financial budgets are very similar to dieting for calories. If you keep denying yourself the good stuff, sooner or later you are going to breakdown and go overboard by spending too much or gorging yourself.
Another helpful trick is to ask yourself if you really need this item. A simple yes or no answer will usually do the trick, don’t argue with yourself, just answer the question. When you can’t say yes right away, you don’t need it. It’s also a very good question to ask when you are shopping with kids. Teach your children how to curb impulse buying and it will help them learn to use self control and it will save your family’s shopping budget as well.
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