I spend an hour creating a flow-chart of my “should I buy this” thought process. Seriously. Here it is, in all it’s non-glory. (Click the small image to see it full-size.)

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I’ve really, really been struggling to go to sleep (and stay asleep) lately, so I’m up at all hours, catnapping during the day… I’m going insane. I wanted to write this really awesome post about making wise spending decisions, but my brain is in hyper-mode and my thoughts are swirling and they refuse to focus. So, I downloaded some free flow-chart software, and started fiddling with it. I’ve never actually used a flow-chart so I’m sure I have all of the shapes wrong, but you’ll get the drift if you take a look. Basically, this is how I manage my spending habits. If I need it, I research it, and then I work until I have the money to buy it, and I buy it. If I want it, I go through the same process, delaying a purchase until I can pay cash. Once you move away from credit cards, you have to learn to plan and prepare for every purchase, big or small. I now longer “charge it” and worry about it later. Nope. I go through this process, day after day, month after month. Hopefully this post will inspire you to think about how you manage your spending. I need some sleep!

Edit:  Here’s a link to the free program I used to make my flowchart: yEd - Java Graph Editor