THE change from long sunny summer days to chilly damp mornings brings about a mood change in many of us. As we hurtle towards the end of British Summer Time we often seek a little boost and that’s where the trouble starts.

Retail therapy or emotional spending is the act of treating ourselves to something nice, something that we often haven’t budgeted for.

The shops are packed with autumn clothes and next generation must-have gadgets, but sadly the emotional high that retail therapy triggers is short lived, so we need to find ways of fighting or accommodating the need to spend.

When do we spend?

Tracking our spending by keeping the receipts and reviewing at the end of the day, week or month will evidence our spending triggers.

What do we buy?

Using the receipts will again give us the answer to this one.

How much do we spend?

It’s amazing how smaller purchases combine to make a big bill. Don’t ignore them as they will probably total more than any single big ticket item on the statement.

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There are several defence mechanisms which we can use:

1. Remove apps from phones and emails which encourage us to make impulse buys.

2. Waiting 48 hours before buying will focus the mind. Do we really want or need it?

3. Make it difficult to spend by budgeting. Stash your monthly ‘goodie money’ in an envelope and when it’s gone, it’s gone.

4. Get support. Talking about it with a friend can help, but make sure that you choose the right friend.

5. Find alternatives. A treat is a treat, whether it’s a £400 pure wool coat or a fiver on a lovely little vintage bangle found in a charity shop, both are emotional buys so will give us the feel-good factor whichever we choose.