How do you practise mindful spending?

Every time you want to click "Checkout", pause. Think.

1. Do you need those things?

2. If you think you need them, how do you foresee the usage?

3. If you only need to use the item for a short while, consider borrowing it from people you are close to. I took home some stuff which my in-laws no longer needed.

4. Check if you already have those things at home. My dad is very guilty of this - not checking!

5. Do you have anything that can substitute those things? For example, instead of buying rags to wipe my tables, I can cut my old and worn-out bath towels into small pieces and voila, a new set of rags.

6. If you do not buy those things, you will have a bigger budget for other, more important things. Think about those important things. Prioritise.

Every time I get tempted to make a big purchase, I check the balances of my savings accounts and credit cards. this has a sobering effect!

Firstly, I'd feel reluctant to waste the efforts my hard-earned savings on something I'm not truly crazy about.

Secondly, my credit card expenditure tells me how I'm doing for the month.

After careful consideration, if I've been disciplined in minimising unnecessary expenses and I have saved my target sum; then I may give myself a little reward. It feels so much sweeter then!

For online sales, I usually only things I need especially when they cost alot (eg computer parts/electronics). Most electronics I buy has to last me for at least 3 years (2.5 years for phones) so I tend to buy value for money items (my phone is the redmi k20 pro, a good but cheap phone)

For clothes, I only buy when I need to replace something for for CNY. For CNY, I hardly ever buy an entire new set either and they must be something id wear out or to work.

When eating I don't buy drinks either when I can help it

There's two rules that limit my consumption pattern

• stick to the annual budget

• clothing / shoes are subject to a "2 for 1" rule: if I want to buy one (pair), I must throw / donate away two.

The "2 for 1" rule has kept my wardrobe population in check and slightly less full since I adopted it a few years back. Nowadays I just mindful to have a few worn out ones already identified before I go buy 1 Set for next year CNY.

I also doing a new rule next year too. All new shirts can only buy pink / baby blue / white. Not as plain as Mark Zuckerberg but good enough to streamline and be boring.