Online Impulse Spending – Something That Should Be Fought Against

MotivationDecember 13, 2017

Today, many things are easily available to us thanks to technology. We can easily get whatever we can think of, just in a few days, whether we can or can’t actually afford it. Impulse buying opportunities are huge and we can see them everywhere around us – in our news feeds, emails, and on every single website. But, if we want to maintain good financial state, we must overcome the urge to impulsively buy things online.

Here are some ways which can stop us from the impulse buying.

Determine your online budget

Although we all enjoy spending money online, there are many reasons why you should determine your online budget. You should do this when you finish other financial obligations so as to ensure that you don’t end up without money before the end of the month. When you determine the budget, it will be easier for you to shop online, and you surely won’t run to buy everything you see online.

Pay using only one bank account

Create a special account for paying online – it can be PayPal or another similar service. You can also deposit your online money into this account, which will help you make payments only from this one.

“…our impulses are too strong for our judgment sometimes” — Thomas Hardy

Don’t enter your email address at the mall

If you can’t control the buying habit, avoid giving your email to the people who might involve you into something similar. If you have already signed up for some email lists, click unsubscribe button and you’ll be removed from it. This will help you with your buying habit, but will also clean your junk mail!

Costs will add up

People don’t actually understand how fast can things add up when they engage in impulse buying. Even if some things cost only 99 cents, other little things will add up very quickly. Impulse buying can be done on anything, not only expensive things with big prices. Try to take a look at your previous bills to see how much you ended up spending for “one thing”, we bet you will be surprised!

Don’t spend too much time online

You should solve this one since it represents the root of the problem. Find another way to spend quality time – go for a walk, read a good book or be creative and make crafts if you like. You will feel more fulfilled and won’t spend money on things you don’t really need. Furthermore, decrease the time you spend on the shopping websites. Instead, write down the items you need and look for them afterward. This way, you won’t lose time on things you don’t actually need.

Reconsider the previous items you bought

Did you use every one of them or did you just throw it away? Sometimes, we buy things that end up in a closet, unused. Create a habit of revising every single thing you intend to buy – write it down if you have to. Try to think if you actually need it in your life, or you just want to have it right now with no reason whatsoever. In the end, you can buy important things that stay on the list, and other ones can go away.

Buy at the end of a month

You should avoid shopping online when you have a lot of money. You won’t have a feeling that you are spending it at all. Instead, buy online when you are actually in the lack of money. That way, you will only buy the important things and will not waste your money because you don’t have much! You can also go a step further and schedule only a few days for shopping each month. You will create a habit and your brain will perceive it as a final decision that the every-day impulse shopping is over, which will surely be the case.

Don’t buy things when you are emotional

Psychologists say that emotions can make us buy things we don’t actually need. This is a reason why you shouldn’t sit in front of a computer if you are angry, sad, or too happy. Emotional buying can also become a problem for you since it represents a way to escape the reality with impulse buying. You better deal with your emotions in other ways – talk to someone or resolve the current issues, if there are any. Don’t let emotions lead you to the places you shouldn’t go.