You know I love shopping, so today's headline may be a surprise. I'm not counseling that you stop grocery shopping or shopping for other necessities. In fact, I'm only suggesting that you stop one kind of shopping.

Stop buying anything for yourself that you do not truly need.

Now, if your snow boots have a hole in them, by all means get a new pair before the snow falls. On the other hand, if you've been wanting a new blender, don't buy it. Instead, put it on your CHristmas list.

Two benefits in this practice:

1) You make things far easier on the people who want to buy you Christmas gifts.

2) You learn to delay gratification. By not buying want you want when you want it, you can learn to save money, live more simply, and reduce the household clutter.

So, kick back and enjoy not shopping for yourself.