Sometimes the reasons for overspending are the ones that seem logical like a sale or an event, but sometimes they are emotional like being in a bad mood or being mood. Retail therapy is a real thing and can sometimes turn into an issue in itself.
It doesn’t matter how financially responsible you usually are, one slip is often enough to burn a huge hole in your pocket. Being emotionally and/or rationally challenged makes us prone to overspending.
Let’s talk about some of the reasons we tend to overspend from time to time.
You are in a Bad Mood
When you are in a bad mood or sad, our brain’s emotional center i.e. the amygdala overrides the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for logical thoughts. As a result, our feelings take over and we don’t listen to any amount of reasoning.
Spending money increases endorphins and people spend more to feel that high. Eventually, it wears off and the aftermath of your shopping spree is you feeling shame and guilt for making poor monetary decisions and affecting your budget.
You are Bored
Being bored is one of the main reasons for people doing a lot of things – shopping being one of them. With online shopping, it has become even more evident. When you aren’t paying with hard cash or a card, it doesn’t feel like spending real money and you go on spending a lot.
Online shopping makes it even easier because you don’t have to leave your house, it is fun scrolling through your phone, you don’t have to handle cash or cards to make you think twice – when all you are doing is pressing a few buttons, you won’t be giving much thought to your purchases.
You Came Across a Sale
Sales have been a real push behind people’s decisions to buy things they don’t even particularly need. When you see something on a markdown, it immediately draws your eyes toward it. Your mind goes into override trying to think of reasons for you to get it and you eventually do find one – no matter how far-fetched.
The thrill you get, from buying something for a fraction of a price where others must have paid the full price, is hard to resist. You wouldn’t want to deny yourself the feeling of winning.
Final Thoughts
Being on the side of the tipping scale of any kind of emotion – whether positive or negative – makes you spend more because you aren’t thinking state when on any kind of emotional high. Try to stop yourself from making purchases when you feel any strong emotion. Most purchases should be planned or should be something that you have had in your mind for quite some time.
You need to find activities to fill the void that not shopping can create. You do not want to keep spending all the time, it will take away from the actual happiness that buying certain things bring and will also affect your budget negatively.