You want to save money, and you know you have a bad shopping habit. So what are you supposed to do about it when the first thing you want to do after a stressful day at work is go out and buy something you don’t need?

We’ll give you some tips to help banish that urge to overspend because you’re stressed out.

Stay Off Your Computer

It’s hard to avoid stress shopping when you can do it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your computer gives you access to stores all the time, even when you should be sleeping.

The only way to help fight that urge to spend is to log less time on your computer. If you’re not on the computer, you won’t be able to visit your favorite cybershops. And if you’re not looking, you won’t be spending money.

Get Some Exercise

Finding new ways to cope with your stress will be good for your health and your wallet. Instead of going shopping, lace up a pair of sneakers and get in a good workout.

It doesn’t matter if you go for a walk, a run, or hop on your bicycle. They’ll all be great substitutes for shopping when it comes to dealing with your stress – and they’ll be healthier for you too.

Think About How Many Hours That Item Costs

If you hate your job and that’s what is stressing you out, you should think about that the next time you want to buy something. Look at the cost of the item and figure out how many hours you’d have to work to buy it.

So if you make $15 an hour and a $40 shirt catches your eye, you need to figure out if it’s worth more than 3 hours of work by the time you make enough money to pay for it after you pay taxes. Is a shirt you like worth spending 3 hours in a place you hate?

Thinking in terms of what you’re going to have to do to make that money might slow down your spending.

Wait Two Days Before Buying Something

It can seem like your world won’t be complete until you buy the object you’re after in a store. Even if you didn’t know it existed until that day, you can envision how cool you would look with it or how it might make your life easier.

But before you whip out the credit card or cash you were going to use to buy it, you should take a breather. Walk away from the store and consider that purchase for two days. That gives you enough time to really think about whether it’s worth it. Maybe you won’t understand why you wanted it so badly two days later. Or maybe you’ll want it even more.

You can always go back and buy it. But if you avoid buying even half of the items you’re considering because of this tip, you’ll end up saving a lot of money.

You’ve heard the experts talk about how badly everyone needs an emergency fund at their disposal and you’re in total agreement. You’re trying to set one up, but you aren’t sure how much you should aim to set aside.

Most experts will tell you it’s best to have 3 to 6 months’ worth of expenses in your fund. If your monthly expenses add up to $3,000, that means you could potentially need to have $18,000 in your emergency fund.

While that’s a good guideline to follow, you may need less money than that in your emergency fund, or you might need more.

The following factors can let you know whether you should plan on saving more or less.

How Steady Your Job Is

If you’re in a shaky industry or there have been layoffs at your workplace, you should aim for saving the full 6 months in your emergency fund.

Any time you think you’re in danger of losing your job, you should be extremely conservative with your money.

If Your Spouse Is Working

If you have a spouse who also works and would be able to cover part of your bills if you lost your job, you may be able to get away with only having 3 months of savings. It’s unlikely you’ll both lose your jobs at the same time. But if you’re both in shaky fields that have experienced a lot of downsizing, you might want to up that to 6 months.

Also, if you and your spouse work at the same company, it’s a good idea to save 6 months’ worth of expenses. If your company closes its doors, you’ll both be out of luck.

You Have Medical Issues

If you have a chronic or long-term medical condition, you should opt to save more, not less. Medical problems can be expensive and you have to make sure you’re covered fully for the worst-case scenario.

You Have Few Expenses

If you’re living at home with your parents still or if you are renting a place with a roommate, you should save more money. Although your expenses are low and conventional wisdom says you wouldn’t need as much in savings, you need to plan for the future.

Your roommate could move out and your parents could eventually kick you out so you can become more independent. If your expenses are low right now, that’s the perfect time to set aside more of your money.

You Have Children

If you have children, you need to save at least 6 months of expenses in your account. Children are wonderful, but they are expensive. They count on you for all their needs so you have to be responsible.

It would also be a good idea to open a Roth IRA on the side, in addition to funding your emergency fund. With a Roth IRA, you can take out the money you’ve invested in the account with no penalties in certain situations. That would allow you to have more money to fall back on if you faced some hardships and your emergency fund was drained.