Often times, especially for myself, it is hard walking into a store without buying everything that catches my attention. Like most high schoolers our budget is not infinite so often times we have to settle for less than we think we deserve. More often than not I spend way too much money on clothes that I think I need, but there are some easy solutions to help avoid this problem.

There is no better feeling than walking into the doors of your favorite clothing store. The shiny floors glisten as the racks of fresh unworn clothing sit upon them. There are so many patterns and styles that catch your eyes as they scan over everything in the store before finally being drawn to a familiar color.

We are all victim to convincing ourselves that we absolutely need something that we really do not. Although impulsive shopping serves as a great therapy session, and finding a good deal can very easily improve your mood for a short amount of time, there are some simple ways to avoid spending money on those items that you think you need but are not actually necessary to your life.

First, prior to going shopping, count the amount of money you have in your wallet. Do not leave the house with any more money in your wallet than you want to spend. Leave the extra cash at home that way you won’t spend more money impulsively.

For those of you who have credit cards and debit cards, find the strength within yourself to control your spending. For instance, before you leave home to go shopping, decide on a set amount of money that you’re going to spend, and hold yourself to that limit.

Next, when shopping for clothes ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” Think about all of the clothes you already have. If you like the article of clothing you are looking at, chances are you have something stuffed away in your closet that is similar to it.

Furthermore, when shopping for clothing it is important to try the clothes on before you buy them. This can be time consuming, but in the long run it will be worth your time. Clothing looks different on than it does on the hanger. Sure, you can always return something, but sometimes stores have a limit to the number of days they allow things to be brought back. If your time expires then you are left with clothes you do not like and you have just wasted money that could have been spent elsewhere.

Once you have convinced yourself that you have nothing that is even close to how magnificent and unique the piece of clothing that you want is, whether it be a pair of leather boots or that super soft sweater that has been keeping you awake at night, think about all of the ways you can wear those items.

If those boots can only be worn with one pair of pants put the boots back, because then you will have to buy two more pairs of pants to go with the boots and two more pairs of socks to match the pants and the boots…and a cardigan…and a scarf… You’re in luck though, because after spending all of your money you won’t have to buy a new wallet since you will have no money left to put in it.

Since clothing stores buy all of their clothing in bulk there will always be multiple articles of the same clothing item. If there is more than one of the thing you want to buy then wait a day before you decide if you want to buy it. Go home and if you cannot stop thinking about the clothes then sometimes it is okay to go back buy it; however, if the idea leaves your immediate train of thought then you really can live without it.

It is hard shopping on a budget, but it is possible. If you have several items that you want to buy because you think that you absolutely cannot survive without them, then buy the ones you can afford. Remember that the other items that you will have to put back will eventually go on sale and you can always come back and get them later. If you come back and the item is gone, then you were not meant to have it. It is as simple as that.

The next time you find yourself shopping with the money you do not have take a minute to think about whether the objects are things you really need, not just things you want. It may be hard at first to lighten your spending habits, but in the long run it will pay off when you have a little more money in your pocket at the end of the day.