A couple of years ago, I had decided I really wanted to go on this huge trip to Europe with my friends. Unfortunately for me, this huge trip came with a huge price tag, and I had (well, still have) a decent obsession with shopping. I had a job at this point and just really needed some help with making sure the things I was buying were actually necessary and not just frivolous purchases that were ultimately taking me away from my goal.
Explaining this situation to my friend led her to teasingly suggest that she could be my “financial advisor”. While this totally started as a joke, the idea of having someone review my shopping purchases to help me limit my spending was actually really appealing! We gave this silly financial advisor agreement a trial run. Our basic rules were that anytime I was out shopping for something nonessential, I would send her a text, and she would either approve or disapprove of my buying it. Obviously, I got the final say in this but having this check on what I was buying was super helpful!
I personally find it super easy to simply add a bunch of small-ticket things to my basket, excuse the purchase as “being only a couple of dollars”, and then check out without a second thought. Having someone who is willing to look objectively at what you’re holding and decide if it’s actually worth it just adds that second thought that I had been missing. Plus, sending her pictures of clothes I might buy let me get quick feedback on if that sweater, dress, or jacket were even cute in the first place!
Keep in mind, though, it’s super important to choose the right friend for this *very official* job. I knew that my friend was almost brutally honest and objective about shopping and what I should buy, so she was a great choice, but I also have some friends who would have 100% encouraged me to buy almost anything I thought was cute!
Now, I definitely understand that not everyone needs a friend checking in on their purchases, but it was really helpful for me to meet a certain goal! So, if you also find yourself needing to cut back on the spending, I highly encourage you to employ your bestie as finance control!