Do You Eat When You’re Upset?

We all make emotional decisions (like eating when we’re upset) but you can’t let your emotions rule your brain and expect positives results.

You may call it comfort food but your body doesn’t know the difference, it just sees that ice cream as calories and fat.

The same thing happens when you spend money because “you deserve it” or “it’s a low monthly payment”. You can tell yourself whatever makes you feel better when you swipe that card – your bank account just sees it as another expense eating into your balance.

I can’t tell you not to make money decisions based on emotion. We’re all human, we all do it. Just don’t expect good things to come of it and don’t be surprised when it ends badly.

I’m not exaggerating, we have friends that got divorced because of an emotional money decision. Whether you know it or not, I’m sure there are people you know that have lost more than money as a result of letting their emotions control their money…. maybe it’s even happened to you.

So what can you do? How can you beat those gremlins inside of you that pressure you to buy based on emotion?

What’s worked best for me is to simply explain my situation to a person I trust and ask what they would do. Make sure you pick someone who’s outside the situation, who can be objective.

Tell them all the details and ask what they would do. Your trusted confidant doesn’t have those same gremlins tainting their perspective. Ask them to be honest – give them permission to not hold back.

If they tell you it’s a bad idea, listen to them! They took the time to listen and give you their opinion, show them some respect and take their suggestions to heart.

So how do you find a person like this? Close friends and family can be perfect (as long as they’re removed from the situation and can give objective advice).

I’ve served this role for several of my readers, so if you’re ever looking for someone to be the voice of reason shoot me an email. We can do it via email or over the phone, whichever would be the most effective for you.

Whether you talk to me or your best friend, the point is – don’t make money decisions based on emotion and expect them to end well.

Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

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