How can I stop impulse buying online?
Make it more difficult to transition from desire to purchase. Delete shopping apps, delete payment info, opt out of sales emails, impose a delay before you buy, review your budget, etc. It's often easier to remove temptations than it is to resist them using willpower alone.
Ways to reduce online impulse purchases
Step one: Make shopping less automated. Get rid of shopping apps on your phone. Log out of online stores. Delete your credit card and address info so you have to put them in every time you shop. It'll take more effort to get your shopping on, and you might think twice before clicking "buy."
You can implement a waiting rule, too. Wait 24 hours before purchasing a small, non-essential item, and several days before purchasing a more expensive one. Instead of putting it in your cart, add it to a list. After the waiting period has passed, determine if you still want it, if you can afford it, and if you actually need it.
Change what reaches you
- Turn off sales emails and texts.
- Accounts that mute things that makes you want to buy things.
- Switch off notifications on retail apps and sites.
- When you are tired, sad or bored, don't go to the stores.
- Utilize website or device limits while shopping at your usual times of day.
But before you buy, pause for a moment to answer these questions: "Do I really need this?" "Do I have another item that does the same thing?" and "What can I do with that money instead?" Take into account the total price tag, including shipping, extra parts or software, upkeep and potential return fees.
Save a running tally of things you choose not to buy. Seeing the amount of money accumulate might encourage you to stick with it. If your shopping usually occurs after a fight, during lunch or in the middle of the night, have something else planned for those times. Phone a friend, go for a walk, do some stretches, make yourself a cup of tea.
If your online shopping is resulting in debt or seems hard to stop on your own, try these strategies plus therapy, a support group or counseling from a financial advisor.