How to Avoid Impulse Purchases — With the holidays come and gone and a LONG stretch of winter yet to come, it’s easy to pass the time with shopping. Plus, now is the time they start clearancing out pretty much EVERYTHING from the holiday rush.
The temptation to grab an awesome deal is in your face pretty much every time you walk into the store. All those great deals can add up–financially and physically cluttering your space.
Here’s few tips to get past the impulse to buy all of those steals you come across:
Set a time limit. Maybe something like a week? If you are still thinking about it in a week, it’s probably something you would use.
Don’t use shopping to cure a bad mood. It’s a nasty trap to fall into, and it really doesn’t, in the long run, fix the problem.
Stay out of stores. Period. It’s really easy to avoid shopping–or finding that serving dish you didn’t even know you HAD to have if you never step foot inside the store. Plus, on the bright side, you won’t even know about the “deals” you are missing.
Remember what your mom used to say? Birds of a feather flock together. This applies with impulse shopping. Avoid going shopping with friends who also have impulse shopping habits. It’s easier to slip up and justify an unnecessary purchase when you have help.
Replace the urge to go shopping with another healthier habit. For example, clean something or exercise.
Keep yourself busy with meaningful tasks. I know that sounds super cheesy, but if you don’t have time to shop, you won’t.
Apply the one in, one out rule. If you buy something new, you have to get rid of something you already have. I have a friend who did this with shoes. She got a shoe rack and all of her shoes have to fit on the one rack. If she buys new, she has to get rid of a pair–if she doesn’t have any she wants to get rid of, she doesn’t buy new pairs.
Even if you do make a purchase, remember stores have return policies for a reason. You still have the opportunity to take it back {if it is unused, of course} if you get it home and feel remorse.
Establish a self-imposed layaway plan. Divide the cost of the item up over a month or several {this obviously applies to those bigger purchases}. Put money aside each week. If you don’t have money to put aside one week, the purchase date gets set back. If at the end of the “layaway” you have the money and still have the desire to purchase, you’ll know it’s a solid, guilt-free purchase.
Pay cash. Cash is still king. Using a credit card gives you instant gratification in that you get to have the item right away, but the bill still comes. Using cash may make you think harder about the purchase.
How about YOU? Do you have some tried and true techniques on how to avoid impulse purchases? Do tell.
~Mavis
Lana says
Cancel your Amazon subscription.
Amanda Tirado says
Oh yes! I used to put items into the cart “for later” and then go on a spending spree later. Then the packages would arrive, and I would find the items for less at a local thrift store! Eventually, a majority of the crap I bought WOULD end up at the local thrift store!
Rosemary says
After I decluttering the house, I do not want to get it cluttered up again. Now, when I see something “cute” and it’s “on sale”, I remember that it is just going to be another thing to get rid of eventually. Walmart had a lot of cute kitchen utensils (spatulas, etc) with Christmas designs. I loved them and wanted them but I knew they would just sit in a drawer and take up space. And then, someone gave me some for Christmas! Some days I just can’t win . . .
PS: I put a note on them telling me who gave them to me and next year someone else will get them. 🙂
Amanda Tirado says
I remind myself that if I spend money on something I only think I want, I won’t have the money available for something I truly need later. That has worked gangbusters for me!
Tiffany F says
I agree with staying out of stores! That works for me.
Bonnie from GA says
Trying to stay in the “do I really need this” category makes most of my decisions. I did say “most” Lol! If I keep that mentality, I don’t regret it. If I buy after Christmas sales, it’s usually Christmas bags or items that make good gifts that I would give next year. Example: BB&W 75% off items for the church ladies. I was tickled to get a nice set of 50 ornaments for $1.59, Normally $15.98 that I did need from Hobby Lobby 90%. Other than that, I need to stay out of the store. You are so right. It is easy to blow money.
Linda says
I shop for necessities, but if something cute or cheap ends up jumping into my cart, I give it a ride around the store, look at it adoringly. Then, I return it to the shelf where I found it. I ‘owned’ it for a while and left it for someone else to love.
Twenty years ago, I went to WM for something I needed in the fabric department. As I drove along, I saw things I needed. With the cart almost full, I reached the fabric department and my needed item was not available.
I looked down at the cart of items, wondering why I would buy them. I followed the path out of the store, restoring each item to the shelf. I was so relieved I did not purchase all that stuff that I bought only because it was in my path.
Really look at your cart and question why you put that item in.
Practical Parsimony
JulieP says
I just don’t shop, if I don’t go in them I don’t buy things – I am really trying hard not to buy so much food either and I really need to get rid of Amazon its just too easy whether you can afford it or not. There’s a finance guru over here who says ‘if you don’t need it and you won’t use it don’t buy it!’ That’s my mantra going forward.
Ashley Bananas says
We rarely buy clothes, we get a lot of them free or second hand if we need to spend money on them. We dont go to the mall a lot, but when we do it’s usually to walk inside in Summer when it’s scorching hot. My son and I go into stores and I’ll say, how much is that shirt, and he’ll look at the tag and we make fun of the prices after we leave. I’m still with MacLemore that $50 for a t-shirt is something ridiculous and you’re getting scammed by a business.
I’m more in the vein of being cheap but still getting everything I need.