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Old 06-23-2008, 09:09 AM
Joan.of.the.Arch Joan.of.the.Arch is offline
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Feel free to return a purchase to the store if you find when you get home that you you should not have bought it. If you cannot return it for your money back, perhaps you can exchange it for something that you really will use. Let's say you bought a $30 pair of slacks at super discount store and when you get home you feel bad about it and know that you do not need it. But maybe you have used up your limits on returns and the store will only let you make an exchange. So...exchange the slacks for things completely unrelated and utilitarian, non-fun things that you would need to buy anyway. Maybe a six pack of bath soap + a large bottle of bathroom cleaner + three cans of tomato sauce + a pound of noodles + a 24 pack of toilet paper.

Don't know how bad your lack of control may be, but if it is only a bad habit, not a pathology, you could try some little tracking tricks where you give yourself a visual reward for "good behavior". Every time you go shopping and there is something you resist buying and you are pretty sure that previously you would have bought it, then when you get home, you immediately give your self a visual reward. Maybe you drop a marble, poker chip, bean, or button into a jar. Maybe you give yourself a gold star on a calendar you keep in a private (or public place if you are asking for family support in this). That way when you are walking away from the cool decorated cell phone case, or the cinnamon scented candle, or the funny dog bowl set, you can know that when you get home you get to add a reward token to your collection. The tokens will be there everyday to show you that you really can control yourself. And you can take pride in making the collection of marbles or stars grow.
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