How do you avoid the lure of the Zappos box!? (By: Magnify.net – CC BY 2.0)The combination of a steady income, no huge financial responsibilities other than rent, and the ease of online shopping has meant that I have been spending money (and acquiring things) more quickly than I would like to.
I know I won’t put myself into debt over it, but I’d like to curtail the spending so that I can save for big things like travel or a future mortgage.
Plus the shipping, all the boxes, and just having stuff I don’t really need feels kind of wasteful.
I know a good solution is not to browse in the first place (even if all the shoes do look pretty…). So I’m wondering what strategies Homies might have when it comes to resisting impulse purchases either online or in a store. -Jackie
Working tirelessly to bring you stimulating content day after day, our team of Offbeat Editors will not sleep until you've gotten your offbeat fix.
Comments on How do you curb impulse spending?
Sorry if this has already been said, but stop watching tv and stop looking at newspaper ads. You can toss the ads as soon as you get the paper (if you get one), and you can tivo (or whatever) or leave the room when ads come on tv – whatever you need to do to escape the ads.
Once I didn’t have a tv or paper anymore, I really didn’t feel like buying stuff all the time anymore. Shopping started to feel more like a chore instead of the excitement after having always looked to see whether anything was on sale that “I could use” or “I might need.” And without the ads, I usually couldn’t think of anything I needed or wanted.
It helps that where I live everything seems exorbitantly expensive, but I found that getting rid of all the ads really stopped that urge to buy new stuff constantly. Don’t forget – that’s what they’re there for and they work in general too – not just for certain stores or products.
Posted by
Sorry if this has already been said, but stop watching tv and stop looking at newspaper ads. You can toss the ads as soon as you get the paper (if you get one), and you can tivo (or whatever) or leave the room when ads come on tv – whatever you need to do to escape the ads.
Once I didn’t have a tv or paper anymore, I really didn’t feel like buying stuff all the time anymore. Shopping started to feel more like a chore instead of the excitement after having always looked to see whether anything was on sale that “I could use” or “I might need.” And without the ads, I usually couldn’t think of anything I needed or wanted.
It helps that where I live everything seems exorbitantly expensive, but I found that getting rid of all the ads really stopped that urge to buy new stuff constantly. Don’t forget – that’s what they’re there for and they work in general too – not just for certain stores or products.