Emerge from the spend cycle

If you're consumed by constant urges to buy, it's time to stop, think and put the plastic away before your budget's blown.

In a world where possessions and instant gratification are part of life, it is easy to see how people often spend more than they should.

Computers and credit cards have made it easier to splash some cash, especially if you just have to have something now.

If most of what you buy or do is going on the credit card and that card is not being paid off in full at the end of each month, it is a sign you may be living beyond your means.

An even surer sign you may be heading for a debt spiral is if you have multiple credit cards to satisfy the spending urge and none of the cards are being paid off.

Pretty soon it won't be just the credit card bill that can't be paid. Utility companies, landlords and possibly even friends or family will be looking for the money you owe.

Basically, it is time to take stock before things get really out of control.

Here are some of the signs you may be spending more than you earn - and some solutions to the problem.

Gotta have it now

Just because you have some money doesn't mean you have to spend it. More importantly, if you don't have the cash and you see something you want, you could ask yourself if you should be buying it at all, says the principal of Woodbury Financial Services, Errol Woodbury.

Woodbury says the ''gotta have it now'' syndrome is alive and well and anyone who falls into this category is constantly fighting off consumer debt.

They may also be struggling with patience, in which case they should think about having a plan or a budget to buy something and stick to it - rather than rushing to buy the item at the first opportunity.

Maxed-out credit cards

If you have trouble controlling your spending, especially on credit, it is time to take some drastic action.

Consider some of the solutions offered by subscribers to the website Simple Savings.

One young girl's trick to stop her impulse spending was to get her father's face imprinted as the background photo on her credit card (many banks and credit card companies allow you to personalise your card).

Every time she feels the urge to pay by plastic, she is reminded to think about what her father would say.

Some people cut up their credit cards to force themselves to stop using them. But if you can't quite bring yourself to destroy your credit card, there are other ways to stop yourself from using it as frequently.

Fill a container with water, put your credit card in it and place it in the freezer. If you want to use your card, you will have to melt the water, by which time the urge to spend may have passed.

Another subscriber put 26 kilometres between herself and her credit card to stop her impulse buying. She gave the card to her sister to look after, so if she really needed an item she had to get in the car to retrieve it. Her pride stopped her making the trip and her saved money is going towards the mortgage.

Impulse buying

Everybody has heard about never shopping on an empty stomach while doing the grocery run as a way to avoid buying unnecessary extras. But what about doing someone else's shopping for them?

If you have trouble sticking to a shopping list and a budget, consider swapping your list with a friend's. You do their grocery shopping and they will do yours in turn. Give each other the amount in cash that you had intended to spend.

You'd be amazed at what doesn't end up in your trolley and how much money you save by not impulse buying.

Choose cash over credit

If you have ever lost a wallet full of credit cards and had to borrow some cash from a friend to get by until they were replaced, you'll know just how careful you can be.

Most people who rely on ''plastic'' would have a hard time remembering what they put on it until the credit card statement arrives. But if you are forced to pay cash for everything, it is amazing how aware you become of what you spend.

Understand your spending

Woodbury puts spenders into four categories. Understanding which you are might help you to stop.

Compulsive spenders are ones that spend when they are feeling depressed or have an unmet need in their life. Instead of identifying the need and resolving it, they go on a spending spree as some kind of escape mechanism.

Impulsive spenders see something on special and can't walk past it without having to have it. Buying a $200 jumper at 50 per cent off is seen as saving $100 rather than spending $100.

Revenge spenders can be found in the local clubs and casinos playing the pokies. They have worked hard their whole lives, budgeted, saved, been disciplined and then decided to get even and splurge. They think they owe it to themselves.

Boredom spenders are ones that can think of nothing better to do than spend, spend, spend.