How to stop impulse buying
Here are some tips on how to stop impulse buying:
• Wait overnight before you make a purchase. By doing this you put some time between you and the purchase.
• Shop with a plan. Determine what you want to buy and how much you’ll spend before you even start shopping.
• Don’t shop when you are emotional. It’s easy to look for a product to cheer you up when you are unhappy.
• Only buy things you can return. If you really have a problem with impulse purchases, at the very least, buy from stores with good return policies
• Take only the amount of cash you’ll need. Figure out how much money you need for the items you want and only take that amount.
• Leave your debit card and credit card at home. Credit cards make it easy to spend too much without really realizing it.
• When in doubt don’t buy
• Find other things to do beside shopping – Go for a walk or bike ride. Instead of meeting your friends at the shopping centre have them over for a cup of coffee or tea.
• Shop alone. Don’t shop with someone you know is a bad influence on your spending habits.
• If you must purchase an item – take a photo of the item and write down the date and price of the item. Then go home and do some research online to see if you can find it cheaper.
• Don’t go shopping at Shopping Centres and don’t go to online retail sites.
• Make a list before you go shopping and stick to the list – Plan your route through stores to get the items so you are not walking past other things that maybe tempting but that you do not need.
• Set a time limit for shopping- so you minimize browsing.
• Turn off click 1 click ordering – on sites such as Amazon and delete stored card details on websites.
• Try online delivery. With online shopping, it’s easier to keep track of the total, and easier to take things out of your basket. Plus, there is less temptations than if you were shopping in the store.
• Hit unsubscribe on marketing emails.
For tips on how to track your spending please visit: Track Your Spending – Moneysmart
