It’s something that probably happens to everyone. You’re walking through the store or browsing the web, and you come across something you absolutely must have and, despite your debt, you’re ready to grab your credit card and charge it!
Of course, you do not want to do that. So, how do you resist that urge?
Some preparation is in order before you get to that point.
Visualize where you want to be in two years, five years or whenever you anticipate your debt being paid off. You will have no debt hanging over your head. You will not have the stress of struggling to pay your credit card bills. When you see something you want to buy, you pay cash for it and you don’t need to worry about how long it will take you to pay off and how much it will actually end up costing you.
Think about how much less stress you will have. Consider how happy you will be. Form a strong mental image of yourself in this debt-free future.
Now, whenever you see something you really, really want, and are tempted to charge it on your debt-ridden credit card, think about that future you. What will get you there? Will buying this item get you there? Likely not. Will not buying this item and using that money to pay down your credit card get you there? Yes, it will.
If you want to seize that future for yourself, you will have to resist buying (and charging!) things now that will not help you reach that goal. Having this strong mental image of your future debt-free self will help you overcome that urge to spend now.
The Bottom Line
You have a choice: you can buy something now and end up paying for it over a long period of time, and put off having a debt-free future that much longer, or you can resist the temptation and pay down your credit card debt instead to stay on track with reaching your future with no credit card debt. It’s easier to do this if you can visualize that future for yourself and bring that image into mind whenever you’re met with a desire to buy something now, for instant gratification.