You better watch out, you better not cry.
You better not pout.  I’m telling you why.
Santa Clause is coming to town.

He’s making a list.  He’s checking it twice.
Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.
Santa Clause is coming to town.

In order to control spending you have to control what is spent on impulse buys.

People have different techniques to do that.  One of the most common ways (and the one that I have found is the most effective for me) is to put an item on a “wish list” and only buy it after an interval of time has passed (a week, a month, a quarter ?- you decide what works best for your life).  I also use it to decide if a sale item really fits into my life.  If it fits, it’s already on the list.

My Amazon  cart is in constant flux throughout the year as items are added, saved for later, and deleted.   Tens of thousands of dollars of virtual merchandise move through the process before any actual purchases are made.

The Independent Penguin only exchanges his money for things of value that will increase his happiness.  I’m still a work in progress.  But one of the things I do to try to get to his level is to make a list and check it twice.

Merry Christmas!