Make Room For Spontaneity In Your Budget

Own your budget, don’t let it own you.

There’s an electronics store here in the Phoenix area that I dart in and out of once every couple of months. This store has a feature that always makes me laugh – a thousand mile long corridor they shuffle you through before you can check out.

The corridor is lined, of course, with impulse buy items. Candy as far as you can see, iPod covers, pen radios, $5 DVDs of old B-movies, batteries, toys; the sheer scope of last minute temptations along those never-ending walls is impressive, in its own way.

But I’m not going to preach to you the financial pitfalls of impulse buys (maybe later), or the evils of retail marketing for tempting you. Nor will I give you a long list of the psychological motivations behind our impulse buys.

Sometimes impulse buys are fun, useful, or just convenient.

There are honestly times where I could use new batteries, or I really am in the mood to try a “Peanut Butter Twix.”

On a larger scale, my wife and I once stumbled upon the perfect rug for our baby’s room while just browsing. Instead of spending more time and energy shopping around for a better one we decided to nab it. We still love that rug (in fact, it’s migrated into our living room).

Spontaneity can spice up your life, or fill it up with crap.

The trick is really simple: keep your impulse buys within your budget – whether it be creating a “Fun” category or “Misc” or even a flat out “Impulse Buys” category. Just make sure your needs are funded first, as well as other more specific wants that you value more.

Following a budget should not kill the simple pleasure of a good find, a quick treat, or a convenient purchase. Give yourself room for spontaneity and enjoy your budget. If you buy something random, use your “impulse buy” funds and don’t feel guilty about it. When those funds are used up don’t get anything “extra” until you have funded that category again. You’ll start to learn what’s worth nabbing and what isn’t.

Are impulse buys dangerous? Yes, they can be. Just use your head and remember your map.

(Photo by: The Consumerist)

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