Overspending triggers

September was almost a wash-off, financially speaking. I exploded both my take-out and entertainment budgets. I know I have been overspending on these two categories, as I track all my expenses. I took some time to reflect on the reasons I went overboard.

• Tiredness. My sleep patterns have been a bit of a wreck lately. This made me reach for the convenience of take-out foods. I haven’t been cooking as much as usual, and I haven’t been bringing as many lunches to work as usual either.

•  Stress. Strata matters have been time-consuming this month. I have had to do a lot by myself, with limited assistance. I found it frustrating, plus I had to juggle with the rest of my life. Again, I gave in into take-out temptation. I have also overspent on entertainment to relieve some of that stress….not so successfully.

• Boredom. Yes, you can be both busy and bored. I have been feeling under-challenged at work. I don’t want to talk too much about it here, obviously. This also made me overspend on entertainment and stuff I didn’t need.

The positive side is that I am well aware of these issues, and I can take the necessary, corrective steps. There are plenty of triggers that cause overspending. I think these three are pretty common. What about you? What are yours?