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Consciousness Raising While Holiday Shopping

Here’s another post I’m re-visiting from 2018…Enjoy!

Tis the season to be spending. But splurging on presents is like bingeing at the buffet. Fun at first, but afterwards, you feel awful! 

Let me suggest a simple tip to control holiday spending (while raising your consciousness), without turning into a tightwad: Track your spending.

Every time you buy anything—a holiday gift or a cup of coffee—jot down the item and the amount…at the time of purchase.Otherwise, receipts pile up and it feels overwhelming.

Believe me, tracking is not just for those with limited means. Tracking is a powerful consciousness raising and potentially life changing tool.  It reveals a lot more than where you can shave and save.

For one thing, the numbers tell a story about your life. For example, when you look at where you aren’t spending—say vacations, doctor visits or new underwear—do you see where you may be depriving yourself? 

When you look at where you are spending,do your purchases reflect your values, what’s really important to you?  Or are you trying to fill a hole in your soul that no amount of ‘stuff’ will ever fill.

Furthermore, tracking has a ripple effect.There was a fascinating Australian study where participants wrote down every purchase, with surprising results.

Not only did their financial lives improve, but they also smoked and drank less, ate less junk food and even found they were more productive.

“As people strengthened their willpower muscles in one part of their lives — in the gym, or a money management program — that strength spilled over into what they ate or how hard they worked,” the study discovered. “Once willpower became stronger, it touched everything.”

Tracking your spending, it turns out, is a great gift to give yourself this holiday season. 

I’d love to hear what you discovered by tracking your spending. Share a comment below.


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Comments & Feedback

  • Jehna Han

    Hi Barbara,

    I received your newsletter in my email box when it comes out, I mostly find them enlightening. This week’s topic…Tracking Spending’s reading is by far to me the best; a rude awakening when you said…(no in my own words) see where I spend money, where I don’t but also reflect and bring consciousness to how much I spent in any area…is it to fill a hole but most awakening part is where I DON”T and how I deprive myself. Wow! How insightful and potent your message is.

    So I realized that I have a “Financial Thermometer” that if I have more money then I ‘have to’ spend it. I am so familiar with living in chronic panic of ‘never have enough’ this vicious cycle have continued through my life. I make way less than some parts of me think I am worth, but yet, I don’t have the belief in myself that i could make more let alone HAVE MORE. The low self-esteem continues to lead ahead! It’s so tiring. I am in my early 60’s now (can’t believe how time have flown by) still I am in the same perticament as when I was in teens.

    I’ve read your weekly or bi-weekly articles, never feel I have money left over to pay to do your work. I have read your ‘Prince charming isn’t coming’ with loads of self revelation but still in the same cycle. Always just living on edge of poverty and barely surviving… poor house is what I know. I believe lack of money, or having money, has never been ok with having money for some tacky reason…its all in my head my blueprint, I am so exhausted living in this poor house mental state. Having this awareness doe not necessarily break the cycle!!

    Can you suggest anything I can do step wise to get to ok with having money (wealth) I sincerely hope its possible still.

    Thank you for listening,
    Jehna Han

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Meet Barbara Huson

When a devastating financial crisis rocked her world, Barbara Huson knew she had to get smart about money… and she did. Now, she wants to empower every women to take charge of their money and take charge of their lives! She’s doing just that with her best-selling books, life changing retreats and private financial coaching.

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