When you’re on a budget, the desire to spend money often ramps up even more. Suddenly you want to buy everything — those viral jeans, fresh pillows for your couch, a new pair of glasses to keep up with a trend. Before you know it, you’re hitting “confirm order” on a full shopping cart.
If you ever catch yourself in this predicament, a common mindfulness practice can truly save the day and your wallet. On TikTok, many creators recommend keeping a gratitude journal as a way to curb your spending, like @maryinprimary who said she finds it to be one of the most helpful financial tools around.
“A lot of people have a spending problem because they cannot be content with what they already have,” she said in the clip. Practicing gratitude flips the script. She pointed to her small apartment as an example. While she often thinks about upgrading, she said her current place has two things she’s grateful for: it’s in her budget and she has nice neighbors.
This outlook can help you avoid spending more on rent, clothes, cars, sale items, trends. You can look past it all when you’re grateful and content. “The more you want, the more you are going to spend,” @maryinprimary went on to say. “Practicing gratitude has saved me so much money, and it’s honestly made me so much happier.”
Creator @baddieonabudget222 also practices gratitude as a way to stick to a budget, but she doesn’t focus on what she owns. By simply being grateful for the day, she said it shifts her into a peaceful mindset, and that makes it easier to save. Here’s what an expert has to say.
Keep A Gratitude List & Save $$$
You’ve likely heard all about the benefits of keeping a gratitude list. That’s when you write down everything you’re grateful for — friends, pets, family, health, nice weather, etc. — as a way to feel grounded, content, and positive.
“It’s a mindfulness tool that helps to train your brain to focus on what is already here instead of defaulting to what is missing,” says Emily Linder, LPCC-S, a therapist in Ohio. It’s even been proven to boost your mood.
That’s why it’s the perfect practice to support your budgeting goals. “For a lot of people, shopping is a self-soothing behavior,” Linder tells Bustle. “It activates the brain’s reward system in a way similar to other feel-good behaviors. Overspending is often tied to anxiety, boredom, or a sense of not having enough.”
When you focus on feeling content as you are right now, all that noise goes way. The idea is to look around at all you have — a full closet, a car that works, a cozy home — so you’re less tempted to buy more.
“For a lot of people, shopping is a self-soothing behavior.”
Blowing your budget also has a social element to it. You might spend to keep up with friends, to have something to share online, or to try a trend. According to Linder, it’s why you make impulse purchase on the apps or get sucked into sales. Gratitude slows you down so it’s easier to make smart decisions.
“When we feel like we don’t have enough, we often reach outward to fill that gap,” she says. “When we are regularly taking stock of what we already have, what is happening, or what we actually enjoy, then it becomes harder to to get stuck in the idea that our lives will be better once we buy the thing. Gratitude isn’t going to make us immune from impulsive overspending, but it does make it easier to take a pause and engage in more thoughtful decision-making.”
“I’m Grateful For…”
If you don’t already keep a gratitude journal, saving more money might inspire you to start one. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen or the Notes app on your phone.
Every day, write a few things that you’re grateful for. It can be things you have, things you’re excited about, or even just something simple, like a feeling. Maybe you slept really great or you got a nice text from a friend. “You can express gratitude about literally anything in your life,” Linder says.
She also recommends being specific. “Instead of something like, ‘I’m grateful for my home,’ try ‘I’m grateful for my lamps that create a cozy glow in the living room at night,’” she says. “The more specific you are, the more the brain registers what you actually have.”
Spend just five minutes a day with your list. It might feel right to jot things down in the morning or as a way to end your day, but it really comes in handy before scrolling. If you have a tendency to get sucked into sales or trends, Linder suggests writing your list before reaching for your phone.
“It could help to put you into a mind space that is more grounded,” she says, which could make you less likely to fall down a shopping rabbit hole. Turn it into a regular practice, and you might find it easier to stick to your budget and save more money.
Study referenced:
Diniz, G. (2023.) The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein (Sao Paulo). doi: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2023RW0371.
Source:
Emily Linder, LPCC-S, therapist
