8 Practical Steps To Stop Compulsive Spending

Financial problems and financial related stress is one of the leading causes of divorce and relationship breakdowns.
Of course a person must be willing to work and be consistent in earning an income but that is only one part of the solution.  A person can make a very large income and mismanage it and still have much stress and difficulty. 
It's not always how much you make, you also must consider how much you spend and how well you budget and manage what you do make.
Here are a few practical steps to help you overcome and win the finance war:

1. Be Honest - Admit you have a problem.
2. Ditch the Card - Get rid of your credit cards and pay with cash or check only. Hide one card for emergency uses only. You may want a spouse or trusted friend to keep this card.
3. Lists - Make a list and only buy what is on the list. No exceptions. Don't succumb to impulse, spur of the moment purchases.
4. Avoid Deals - Avoid sales and discount places that give “a deal”. Too much of a good thing becomes a detriment. Just because it's on sale or a "deal" doesn't mean you need it or your bank account has the extra cash in it to pay for it without going into debt.
5. Watch Out for the TV and Internet - Avoid shopping channels on TV and catalogue and Internet orders.  It is easy to feel the urge and impulse to make a purchase and cause you to abandon your commitment to purchase only what you need in the reasonable amount that you need it in.
6. Substitute -  if your finances are out of control,  you constantly blow your budget,  you live from pay check to pay check, have to borrow consistently to stay afloat, you need to substitute your buying and spending behavior to a more productive behavior such as walking, reading a productive wholesome book, pray, read your Bible, do something kind for someone, etc..
7. Accountability - Have an accountability partner to call and be accountable with your finances to such as your pastor, your best friend, etc.  This takes extreme openness, humbleness and the willingness to be truthful and transparent.  You will only dig out of your financial hole if you're willing to make tough choices, plan and stick with a budget and be truthfully accountable to someone to help you win your financial battles.
8. The Root  -  Most important-get to the root of the problem. Buying things will never fill that empty space inside. Only a deeper and more intimate relationship with God will ever satisfy your cravings. His self-control comes as a result of receiving and giving His love and will help you overcome urges to act out of control. Finally, instead of covering those negative feelings with temporary solutions, ask God to help you confront your areas of hurt and wounding. What is the root, the lie that keeps you bound? Jesus said, “I am the truth and the truth will set you free.” Allow His truth and His love to fill your heart and mind. God wants you free of anything that controls you and keeps you in bondage. You will continue to fail in your power if you don’t ask God to help you. As you press into a deeper relationship with God and learn to lean on Him, you’ll lose that compulsion that seems to drive you.