With the mall culture creeping into our everyday lives, every now and then we are bitten by the shopping bug to splurge into unnecessary spending when ever we visit these giant mammoth shopping complexes hoping to buy stars and moon at down to earth prices.

The urge to spend is so strong that most of the time we end up buying what we didn’t plan to because the goods displayed on the shelves create a black magic effect on our minds and lure us into an ever tempting territory of mega deals and discounts where the trespassing is made simple by just swiping our credit card across the counter.

This shopping frenzy lasts for hours and only ends when the body refuses to move any further though the mind still wants you to hop to another counter for some more exciting offers on gadgets and wardrobe which your family doesn’t needs.

So is there really a way out of this mindless shopping extravaganza which burns deep holes into our pockets and leaves us high and dry by the end of every month?

After contemplating over the issue for long I found shopping in malls a somewhat difficult phenomenon to resist but certainly one can cut down on bills by not indulging into manic purchasing if we follow these steps.

1. CARRY YOUR DEBIT CARD AND NOT CREDIT CARD NEXT TIME WHEN YOU STEP INTO A SHOPPING MALL
This exercise will ensure that your eyes don’t drool over the fancy stuff lying in the shelves which you don’t need for all the practical reasons every time you step into a mall.
Your limitations will be well defined and you would know when to stop unlike with your credit card which is always waiting to pop out from the wallet like a Jinni waiting to come out of a bottle to grant all your wishes.

2. CARRY YOUR SPOUSE EVERYTIME YOU GO TO A MALL
Shopping alone in a mall is like stepping onto a banana and slipping every time you step out of the house because there is no time to look at the ground realities of extravagant spending something you should always resist. Carrying your spouse along will ensure that he or she doesn’t lets you stare at irresistible stuff which is playing havoc with your mind and you just can’t wait to jump on to it with your credit card waiting to exhale.
Your partner is sooner or later going to get tired of your running around like a monkey all over the mall wanting to grab everything coming your way because he or she doesn’t has the energy to go in circles all over the place and would want you to get out of the horror house at the earliest.

3. MAKE A SHOPPING LIST AND SET A TIME LINE TO EXIT THE MALL PREMISES
Time management is critical when you decide to shop in a mall, and this can only be achieved by a meticulously planned shopping list which will come in handy the moment you step into a mall as it will act as a deterrent to overspend on stuff which you don’t need. It will also ensure that you exit the mall the moment your mission to buy goods listed on the shopping list is achieved.

4. AVOID EATING IN MALL RESTAURANTS
Eating out has become a way of life for most of us with disposable incomes touching an all time high and gone are the days when it was only restricted to weekends. With malls coming up in every locality we invariably land up eating in their fancy restaurants every now and then which results in spilling over the beans to other shopping outlets of the mall and at the end of the day you realize that you have actually ended up spending more on buying stuff from the retail outlets then filling your belly with some mouth watering delights. Your old time favorite restaurants are the best bet when it comes to just having a good meal with your family and coming back home.

5. MATCH YOUR LIFESTYLE WITH YOUR MONTHLY INCOME
Take some time out to look at the cherished possessions you already own and you will loose the desire to own some more because there isn’t enough place in the house to stack them. How many branded jeans or fancy shoes you are going to wear over a period of year if your workplace demands only formal attire on every working day?
It is a thumb rule that 20% of your income must go into savings and following this rule will automatically keep you within the confines of your spending habits.

6. DON’T LET THE WORD “MEGA SALE!!!” HAVE A BLACK MAGIC EFFECT ON YOUR MIND
No denying the fact the word “sale” displayed on shopping outlets holds the power to stop even the likes of Alexander the Great mid way on his route to conquer India but your determination to conquer your spending demons alone can only put a stop to the unwise expenditures. Discourage yourself from buying stuff on sale unless it is a necessity and focus on quality rather than quantity.

Follow the steps above to assess your own situation and turn these strategies into an opportunity to change your impulsive buying habits altogether.