Why Do I Keep Making Impulse Buys I Regret?

Ralph00:00:00

You see it, you want it. So guess what? You buy it. And then, ugh. That regret sets in. That thing you just bought, you didn't need it, you didn't budget for it.Now it's just sitting there, just reminding you of the money you wish you still had. Does that sound familiar? I thought it might. But here's the thing. What if you could finally break that cycle?What if you could walk away from an impulse buy without feeling deprived and still feel good about your money? Well, stick with me because we're going to talk about exactly how to make that happen on today's show.This is Financially Confident Christian, your daily dose of gospel, grounded insight and faith driven tips to help you break the cycle of financial shame with confidence. Hey, friend. Welcome back to your Daily Financially Confident Christian. I'm Ralph. I'm your guide, I'm your encourager.And sometimes, yes, I'm the guy who's made those same money mistakes you've made, but found God's way to get out of them. And we're in our series Breaking the Financial Chains.Now yesterday we talked about why it's so hard to stick to a budget and how to stay consistent even when life throws you off. If you missed that show, I encourage you to go check it out.You can find all of our episodes@financially confidentchristian.com but today we're tackling one of the biggest budget busters out there. Impulse spending. You know, that quick. I deserve this. He swiped a card that little just this once that somehow happens over and over again again.Well, let me tell you about a time I walked into a store for toothpaste. Yes, for toothpaste. And I walked out with. Wait for this. You're never going to believe this.I walked out with a new speaker, two candles, and a giant tub of popcorn. And the crazy thing, in that very moment, it felt great. I told myself, hey, these were on sale. Listen to these buys I just made. I'll use them.I'd had a hard week. I deserve it. But the next day I looked at my bank account and that great feeling was gone. Was replaced with regret. Maybe you've done that too.Maybe you've opened a package from Amazon and thought, why in the world did I even buy this, Ralph? Listen, friend, impulse buying isn't about being bad with money. It's about how we react to triggers.See, it's all about triggers, emotions, marketing. Hey, even boredom. And if you've been stuck in that cycle and so many of us get stuck in that cycle, let me tell you, right now, you're not weak.You're just human. But here's the good news. The very good news. God didn't design us to be mastered by our impulses. And here's the best part. There is a way out.Hey, let's get right into the Bible today. Let's look at the Book of Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 and 23 says that self control is a fruit of the spirit.You're walking with God, truly walking with God. Self control isn't something you have to force. It's something he grows in you. Isn't that wonderful news?Well, let's go on and look at the Book of Proverbs, chapter 4, verse 23. It says this above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.See, when we guard our hearts from chasing that next shiny thing, and it's so easy to do that, it's so easy to stay in that chase. But when we guard our hearts from chasing that next shiny thing, our spending changes. It really does.And Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verse 10 reminds us of this. Whoever loves money. Listen to this. I want you to hear this again. This is Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verse 10.It says, Whoever loves money never has enough. Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. Kind of harsh, isn't it? What's the translation?Really simple stuff will never fill the space only God can fill. If you don't hear anything else I say today, hear that? Stuff will never fill the space only God can fill.So here's the mindset shift you need to think about today. Your goal isn't to never want things. That's just not going to happen. But here's your true goal.Your goal is to create enough space between wanting and buying so you can decide with wisdom. See, that's the key to this, because when you slow down. I'm talking about truly slow down. You give self control a fighting chance.So here's what I want you to try today. Start by spotting your triggers. Ask yourself this. Is it stress? Is it the stress of the day that causes me to go? Want to buy things?As we talked about on the show yesterday, is it just plain boredom? I'm bored, so I'm scrolling at night. Hey, maybe for you it's walking into Target without a list. Just go. I want to go look around.So that's the thing I'm going to encourage you to do is spot those triggers. Second thing, if you have those triggers, delay and evaluate for anything. Let's just pick over 20 bucks.I'm going to encourage you to wait 24 hours before buying it. Just ask this question. Do I need this? Here's an even better question. Will it matter in three months? So delay and evaluate.Next thing I'm going to encourage you to do is open up what I call the no browse zone. For the next two days. Avoid aimless store wondering or just looking or scrolling online. Listen.I can still remember my mom dragging me and my sister to the store for what seemed like hours when I was a kid, only to buy absolutely nothing. Used to drive me crazy. But later in life I realized she was the master of fighting impulse buying. She was a pro at it also.Looking back, I think it was a way to keep us away from the house so we couldn't destroy the store instead of our house. She was a wise woman. But getting back to our goals. And here's the thing I want you to really focus on this week. Redirect the urge.Whenever you find yourself wanting to buy something, just think about that's a trigger. Do something else. Maybe it's a time to pray. Say, lord, I need help breaking this impulse buying. Maybe for you. Take a walk.Hey, call a friend or send that money to savings instead, say, you know, I'm going to buy this, but instead I'm going to put this in the savings. Because here's what you're doing. You're breaking that automatic pattern and you're teaching your brain to pause.And that pause, my friend, is where the Holy Spirit can speak. How about we pray together? Father God, thank you for providing for our every need.And we confess that sometimes we chase things to fill a void only you can fill, Lord.And we just ask today that you would give us wisdom to see our triggers, Lord, and the strength to pause before we spend grow in us that fruit of self control that you promised. So our money choices honor you. And we ask this in complete confidence in Jesus name. Amen, friend. Every impulse you resist is a win.Think about that for a second. Everything you choose not to buy, that's a win. It's one step towards freedom. So take your step today.Spot those triggers, put that delay rule in place and watch how much you lighten you feel once you don't continue to impulse buy. Don't forget I want to encourage you. Go get a copy of my book. You can get that at financiallyconfidentchristian.com/becoming. It's a free copy.It's called how to Become a Financially Confident Christian.It's yours absolutely free by going to financially confidentchristian.com becoming now, tomorrow, we're talking about what to do when you feel like you never have enough money. Hey, been there, done that. But bigger than that, we're going to talk about how to break that scarcity mindset and break it once and for all.So here's my encouragement for you today. Let's go out there and be financially confident Christians. I believe in you, believe in yourself. God bless you, and you have a great day today.