question: is it possible to have a habit where there is no cue at all, or possibly where just about anything can work as a cue, not even an emotion or state of mind, no cue at all? would it possibly be more an addiction than a habit in that case, or is there a cue even then?

The tedious and frightening part is to look at credit card statement and try to see the pattern. Sometimes, the balance and the APR don’t look as intimidating as realizing one has spending problems. I think that’s why it’s so easy to get into debt and so hard to get out of it.

By ignoring to realize that one has problems, one is hoping that the problem will go away on it own, but it actually stay and eventually becomes a bigger problem. It’s like a cycle of doom.

That’s my 2 cents.

I plan to sit down in a quiet space and read it carefully.

Thanks for the challenge.

A lot of people focus on the wrong end, I think, and never figure out what they are actually trying to achieve – with spending, with weight management, with a lot of things.

Kelly McGonigal’s book “The Willpower Instinct” was also very good. It was much better than Baumeister and Tierney’s “Willpower” in terms of take-aways and actionable steps.

Although I don’t have any oblivious spending habits anymore (modified using methods similar to those you cite), I did have a “come in the door and go for a glass of wine” habit that was easy to break when I realized I was just looking for relaxation.

Thanks again.

So often personal finance is seen as dull because we assume it requires nothing but willpower, which is boring and hard, but this is a proper explanation of how to break a habit. It’s great to see experimental research summarised, interpreted, and turned into advice we can use to reach our goals. I have no doubt I’ll be using this strategy soon, thank you.

Probably a bad way to start an otherwise good article with a valid point.

I enjoyed Willpower. Habits is on my list too

I think another issue that is touched on in other books, The Happiness Project for one, is whether one is an abstainer or a moderator. Meaning do you do better, say on a diet, by going cold turkey and throwing out any junk food or treats in the house. Or are you a moderator, in that you will do better on a diet, if you can have a cookie once a week or every other day.

Over time I have figured out that I am a moderator, that is why our allowance system works best for me. My husband is an abstainer so the allowance system works for him as well because he is limited by how much he can spend (he will spend as much money as is available to him, just like he will eat a whole bag of chips).