Over Spending

Many Muslim youth around Canada and around the world have trouble dealing with the temptation of overspending. In a hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, “Allah has prohibited three things: gossip, much questioning and wasting money.”

Overspending can lead to bankruptcy or debt and eventually you will not have enough money to meet your needs. We must recognize the difference between “need” and “want”. Ask yourself, do I really need this or do I simply want it? We should ask ourselves this question every time we attempt to spend money. If we are honest with ourselves, we can make a wise choice and follow through.

Here are four easy steps that will help to decrease overspending:

1) When shopping is necessary, make a list of the things you need to buy.

2) Don’t spend time in a place where it is easy to spend money. If we spend a lot of time at certain places such as malls, cafes and movie theaters, we may be drawn to spend more money. Instead of spending your free time at these places try and go to the park or visit your friends.

3) Give yourself strict income limits. If you have problems controlling your spending, try to create and stick to a weekly budget. Any extra money can be saved in your personal bank account.

4) Avoid impulse buying. If you see something that you would like to buy, try waiting a day before actually buying it. If you really want it, you will come back. This also gives you the chance to find other things that may be better in quality or price.

Keep in mind that spending money in and of itself is not bad, in fact, spending money can be good if we spend wisely. The Prophet commended money when he said, “It is very good that a righteous man has righteous money.” Instead of spending money on useless things, you can spend money on good things such as charity, buying gifts for parents or siblings or using it towards your education and personal development.

Next time you are out shopping with your friends and about to purchase something, stop and think: Is this something I really need?

Written by MAC Youth London's High School Sisters' Youth Group (SYG) 

As seen in: MY Voice Online Magazine