The other weekend I picked up some fresh tomatoes at the farmers’ market. The next day I thought about going to the store to buy a baguette and mozzarella so we could make bruschetta, because it sounded good. Never mind that we had plenty of food we could make at home. My mind just thought: Bruschetta sounds delicious; let’s go buy stuff to make that. And too often that’s exactly what we do. A big deal? No. My husband and I cook a lot at home, which definitely saves us money in the long run, except when we start to make specific meals on a daily basis based on whatever we’re craving. When we do that every day, those small extras add up. And though we certainly need to eat dinner, it doesn’t have to be an exact meal based on a whim.
For this challenge, pause before every purchase and ask yourself: “Do I need this or do I want this?” That’s all. Don’t worry about the answer—it’s okay to have a mix of both, and it’s even okay to realize, Yikes, I succumb to a ton of wants. Just take that moment before spending money to think: want or need? Then categorize mentally.