Going-out Guru l April 14, 2011 l 
We all make mistakes with our money, from treating ourselves after a stressful day to tacking on a few unplanned purchases to our weekly grocery store visits. While it’s OK to have a slipup now and then, some people need a spending intervention to get them back on track financially.
Back to Reality Checklist
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you might be in need of a reality check:
- Do you buy expensive coffee drinks five times a week?
- Do you have a closet full of clothes with the tags still on them?
- Has your habit of hiding purchases from your spouse gotten out of control?
- Is your garage or basement full of stuff you never use?
- Did you have to buy a storage unit because your garage AND basement were already full of stuff you never use?
- Do you have a TV or game system in every room of your house?
- Do you spend $100 at the bar every time you go out?
- Have you started using your student loan money for purposes other than your books and tuition?
- Have you been tapping into the bank of mom and dad too much?
- Do you give in to your child’s every wanted purchase?
- Do you have a gym membership that you haven’t used since January?
Start Your Reality Check
Turn around your wasteful habits with these resources from Spendster:
1. Take the Reality Check Challenge. Share a video showing us what you’ve wasted your money on and what you should have done with the money instead, and you could win back some of that money—from $100 to $1,000! (It’s easy - just ask these guys!)
2. Check in with your wants and needs. It’s a very basic principle that’s sometimes hard to stick to. If you map out your wants and needs, it’s easier to remember them next time you’re at the checkout counter.
3. Take the LifeValues Quiz. There’s a reason you can’t stop buying new shoes or you find it’s easier to blow money on a road trip than adding money to your savings account. Find out with this quiz.
Got a spending habit that needs a reality check? Share it with us below or on Facebook.
