It's a statistic that I just can't get over: 76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.That just simply blows my mind every time I think about it.Three quarters of America would run into serious financial problems if they missed their next paycheck or twothey'd have to skip bills or sell things or make major life changes immediately.There are lots of reasons for this. I could list dozens of them off the top of my head.To me, however, one of the absolute biggest reasons for it is instant gratification and the absolute ease of getting almost anything we want.It's easier to buy things today than it ever has been. Thanks to the ease of use of credit cards and the access to nearly infinite shopping sites online, it is so easy to just fulfill any whim you might have at almost a moment's notice. Think of something you want and you can probably find it online pretty quickly and have it shipped right to your door.There's no need to collect your cash. There's no need to go to the store for most things, and even if you do, you just swipe a card to pay. The selection has never been more abundant.It's no wonder that many, many people fall into that trap of instant gratification. They can get almost anything they want and they can pay for it almost without thinking.I'm not beyond the temptations of this trap, either. I often give into instant gratification. I'll give you two examples.Several months ago, there was an out-of-print board game I was very interested in owning because it had a great solo experience and it covered a historical period that I'm deeply interested in (the game was Navajo Wars, if you're curious). I like playing complex solo board games in the evenings, particularly ones that simulate things like this, because it not only makes me think in terms of the game choices, it really helps me to learn about that situation.Anyway, I could only find copies of Navajo Wars that were selling for multiples of the MSRP or else copies that were used and potentially damaged that were anywhere close to the MSRP. I talked myself out of the purchase for a while. Mostly, that's because there is a reprint of this game coming sometime in the next couple of years.Flash forward a month. Out of nowhere, I stumbled upon a brand new copy of this game for only a bit more than MSRP. Almost instinctively, I bought the copy. I didn't rationally think about it much at allI just opened the wallet and spent the money.Now, I was lucky. I hadn't actually spent all of my "hobby money" for the month, so that absorbed a lot of it, and we are in good financial shape, so it wasn't a financial disaster. Still, it was a pure impulse buy, one that was all about instant gratification.I've played Navajo Wars once since then. Once. I'd love to play it again, don't get me wrong, but it's been tricky to set aside the block of time to get it to the table. The thing is, Iknew it would be tricky to get it played, not only due to the time, but also due to the other competing interests that might fill that time.It was an instant gratification purchase, one that wasn't well considered, and one that I wouldn't do again.How about another example' I enjoy craft beers. I particularly enjoy the "gose" style, which often tastes kind of lemony, just a bit sour, and usually has an almost salty flavor, too.Sometimes, when I'm out and about, I'll find a bomber or a six-pack of a new kind of gose that I've never tried, or a good price on one of my favorites. The desire to immediately gratify that desire is very strong, and I often find myself buying it.Instant gratification hits me sometimes, too.I will say, however, that it hits me pretty rarely at this point, and my financial state is thankful for that. I have a number of strategies that I use to try to avoid instant gratification for my own financial sanity. Here are 12of those strategies; perhaps they'll help you with your own battles against instant gratification.SEE ALSO:6 signs you're saving enough moneyDON'T MISS:11 daily habits keeping you from getting rich, according to a man who spent 5 years studying millionaires1. Make online buying harderInstant gratification is more likely to happen when you minimize the time between seeing something that you want and actually purchasing it. Thats part of the reason that people can get into such trouble with credit card debtthe time to actually swipe a card is actually pretty small, which minimizes the time to actually think about a purchase.Online, its even worse. Many online retailers store your credit card information and most browsers store your account sign-in information, meaning that with just a few clicks, you can go from viewing a product to having it on its way to your house. I can buy a new Kindle book on Amazon in just a few seconds. That doesnt leave much time to actually think about the purchase.One great way to keep yourself away from impulsive online buys is to simply delete all of that information in order to make online buying harder. Delete your credit card info and Paypal info from your online accounts, then clear out your web browser so that it doesnt store login information and doesnt keep you logged in at e-commerce sites.What does that change' Take Amazon, for instance. Now, youll have to type in your email address and your password to log in, then youll have to manually enter your credit card information in order to make a purchase. Both are going to add significant time to your decision, giving your more time to think about whether or not this moment of instant gratification really makes sense.2. Leave credit/debit cards at homeIf you go out and about with friends, just take enough cash along to cover the expenses youre sure to incur and then leave your debit and credit cards at home. That way, if an extra expense does come up or an impulsive desire that you must fulfill pops up, you dont have access to money in order to spend it on unnecessary things.For example, if you go out to the bar and only have a $20 bill in your pocket, youll probably be limited to buying just a few drinks when youre there. It doesnt matter whether or not you decide on the spur of the moment that youd like to have another drink or two, you wont. Instant gratification simply wont work because you wont have the cash.This is a great strategy almost any time you leave the house and know youre going to a place where you might be tempted into impulsively buying something. If you limit your options for spending more than you planned, it means that you cant give into the sirens call of instant gratification.3. Write down impulsive desiresI keep a pocket notebook with me at all times. I use it to write down ideas when they come to mind, take notes on things that I see, brainstorm when Ive got a few free minutes, jot down things like grocery lists, and pretty much anything else. I process that notebook several times a day, going through the items and figuring out if theres anything I need to do with them.One thing I jot down that really helps with instant gratification is simply the name of the item that Im desiring at that moment. Rather than buying it, I write it down in my little notebook.This manages to feel like Im taking some kind of action on that item, so it feels complete in some way. Often, the immediate desire drains away if Ive written down the item. Later, when Im processing the notebook, the desire might pop up again, but I have other strategies at that point.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Click here to read full news..
