Check out these 7 anti-wasteful self-reward tips you can try

Giving yourself an award can increase your work and life motivation. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for people to buy products they don't actually need under the guise of self-reward, causing monthly expenses to balloon.

Well, if you want to give yourself a treat (self-reward) but are afraid of being wasteful, here are some tips you can try:

1. Say thank you to yourself

The best and cheapest self-reward is being compassionate with yourself. Because, unconsciously, we often act "worse" towards ourselves than towards others. For example, if someone else makes a mistake, you'll say "it's okay," while you'll scold yourself if you're the one who makes a mistake.

Saying thank you and "it's okay" to yourself every day is also a part of self-reward. Because this way, you're appreciating what has happened while still acknowledging that there are things that need to be improved.

2. Know how to manage stress

According to Satu Persen's YouTube channel (2022), self-reward is often synonymous with how a person copes with stress or pressure in life. Well, there are many ways to cope with stress, not just by shopping. Therefore, you need to know how you cope with stress first.

For example, besides shopping, you usually cope with stress by sleeping, exercising, or spending time with family. So, after achieving a certain goal, you can choose between sleeping, spending time with family, or exercising as a self-reward instead of shopping. This way, you can save more money, because not all stress is replaced with self-reward that involves money.

3. Plan your desired self-reward

To avoid being wasteful, you need to avoid impulsive buying when purchasing items for self-reward. The trick is to plan in advance the goods or services you want to buy to fulfill this need.

For example, you're on a diet program. For 5 consecutive days, you're not allowed to eat meat. So, the best self-reward to keep you motivated in this program is to eat chicken satay in an appropriate portion on Saturday and Sunday (cheating day). Thus, for those 5 days, you not only diet but also save a little money to buy chicken satay on Saturday and Sunday.

4. Determine appropriate success indicators

Often, people become wasteful because small achievements are "paid for" with large self-rewards. For example, successfully mopping the house floor is replaced with buying a branded bag at the mall. As a result, the total expenditure for self-reward does not match the achievement obtained.

To overcome this, you can determine appropriate success indicators first. For example, mopping the house floor can be replaced with just buying coffee at the mall or eating at a restaurant. Conversely, if the achievement is big, it can be replaced with a big self-reward, for example, if you successfully get into a big company with a good salary, it can be replaced with a vacation to Singapore.

5. Adjust to your wallet

Don't let self-reward "only" cause you to live in a rat race cycle or from paycheck to paycheck. Adjust the self-reward you want to your monthly income for a calmer life in the long run. Simply put, if you can't afford the item you want in cash, don't force it.

Instead, you can replace the item with another more affordable self-reward, or still buy the item but by setting aside money to save first.

In addition, you can also buy the item using an Honest credit card. But, to avoid interest, you must pay off your credit card bill on time.

6. Take advantage of discounts

Want to still buy self-reward but not be wasteful? Then, take advantage of discounts! For example, buying plane tickets and hotels far in advance using promos on the Honest credit card app or paying bills with a credit card because there are usually many promos for bill payments or monthly shopping this way. But remember, buying with a discount must also be careful because it's prone to impulsive buying. Remember, plan what you're going to buy first, then execute.

7. Evaluate your self-reward

A self-reward tip to avoid being wasteful is to evaluate it. There are several aspects you can evaluate when fulfilling this need. First, whether the self-reward is aimed at coping with stress or improving your quality of life. Self-reward aimed at improving the quality of life is relatively better than self-reward for coping with stress, because it will encourage you to become a better individual.

Second, the suitability of the self-reward with the achievement you obtained. Once again, make a self-reward that matches the achievement target you set and make sure you're happy to get that self-reward. It would be pointless if you buy an item as a self-reward but when the item is in your hand, you actually feel uncomfortable.

Third, evaluate the budget you use to buy the product. Immediately pay your Honest credit card bill if you buy it with this credit card, so you don't have to pay interest and get caught in a rat race cycle.