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How To Stop Impulse Buying For Good

May 29, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life7 Comments

10 tips to help you stop impulse shopping today.

Let’s talk impulse shopping.  Truthfully??  This is something I have always struggled with.  Do I budget?  YEP!  Do I love to save money and watch my bank account grow?  ABSOLUTELY!  Yet, I STILL impulse shop!  (you win some and lose some right???)  A few years ago I made a few changes to help stop this bad habit.  Through time, and a lot of practice and fails, I have finally been able to control myself more at the store.  If you can relate to this, well you’re in luck!  Because today I am going to share a few tips to help you learn how to stop impulse buying.

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1.  Admit you Have a Problem

The first step to quit this bad habit is to admit that you have a problem.  Many impulse shoppers try to rationalize their impulse buys.  These phrases sound a little like, “Oh, but it was on sale, so it was a smart buy,” or “It was something that we really needed anyway, so it wasn’t really an impulse buy.”

The truth is that these phrases are only excuses.  We make up excuses to hep ourselves feel better when we know we messed up!

The next time you buy something on impulse, admit to yourself what you did.  Don’t make up an excuse or explain the buy away.  Impulse shopping doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you normal….but that doesn’t mean it’s what is best financially.

You must admit you have a problem, before you will ever be able to change.

2.  Recognize your Triggers

Now that you’ve admitted you might have an impulse shopping problem, it’s time to decide what your spending triggers are.

Is there a certain store that you leave buying more than you should have (this would be Target for me!).  Or maybe when you are feeling stressed you spend more than you want to.  Pay close attention to your spending habits and make a list of a few of the triggers that tempt you to shop.

  • Related:  Overspending Triggers and Solutions

3.  Find Alternatives To Shopping

The third step to curing impulse shopping is to find alternative activities to help keep you away from your spending triggers. 

If shopping at Target tempts you to overspend, shop at Walmart instead (this is what I had to do!!)

If you shop when you are feeling upset, find a different activity to help you work through those emotions.

If you follow a really cute, sweet blogger on Instagram, but her posts about darling clothes on sale make you want to spend money….unfollow her!

Do whatever it takes to find something to keep you away from your personal triggers.

  • Related:  9 Ways to Kick The Emotional Spending Habit

4.  Leave the Cards at Home

Ditch your credit and debit cards and instead shop using cash.  This is the best way to make sure you don’t overspend.

Decide how much money you want to spend at the store, put that much money in an envelope and leave EVERYTHING else at home.

You will need to pay close attention to everything you put into your cart, because you literally can’t afford to buy anything that costs more than the cash in your wallet.

  • Related:  Have More Money With The Cash Envelope System

5.  Make a List

Never go to the store without a premade list in your hand.  Commit to buying what is on that list, and NOTHING else (even if you pass by the cutest shirt….and it’s on a huge discount….just keep on walking!).  This has saved me so many times!  For some reason if it’s written down, I am much better at sticking to my goals.

6.  48 Hour Rule

Give the 48 hour rule a try the next time you want to impulse buy.  It’s super easy!

Just set a dollar amount (mine is $50) and commit to waiting at least 48 hours before buying anything above that amount.

This will give you time to make sure you REALLY want this item.  Most of the time when I wait 48 hours, I tend to change my mind and realize that I didn’t need the item after all (funny how that works huh!).

The 48 hour rule also gives you time to shop around, and see if you can find a similar item at a cheaper price. 

When you wait to make a purchase you are giving yourself time to separate emotions from logic, or want vs. need.  This is so important when learning how to stop impulse buying.

7.  Give Yourself Splurge Money

Be sure to include “splurge money” in your budget.  Splurge money is money for you to spend however you WANT!  (yay!  I love splurge money!)

Your splurge money will give you that sweet little taste of freedom in spending.  This can help curb a lot of your spending temptations.

The amount you budget for splurge money will be different for everyone.  If you have a very tight budget, your splurge money should be a smaller amount.  If your budget has some wiggle room perhaps you could give yourself more money.  As always, do what’s best for YOU!

8.  Walk Around With Your Shopping Cart

This suggestion might seem a little silly, but it works for me!

Whenever I get tempted to impulse buy something not on my list, I grab it anyway and put it in my cart.  I don’t head right to checkout, but instead browse around the store for a while.

After 20 minutes or so, when it’s time to leave, I look at my cart and the items I stashed in there and ask myself, “should I really buy this?  Do I have money in my budget for this item?  Is it something I need?  Could I wait and budget for it later and come back and buy it?”

Because I gave myself that time to walk around with it in my cart, my voice of reason come back and I usually decide to put the items back where they belong.  Try it!

9.  Use a Spending Buddy

Find a friend who has similar financial goals as you and use each other as someone to talk to when tempted to impulse buy.

A few years ago I had a good friend who agreed to be my spending buddy.  Whenever I would find that one item I thought that I just HAD to have, I would call my friend.  I explained to her what I wanted and she would ask me the important questions about if I really needed it, could I find something cheaper, etc.  And, I would do the same for her in return.

My spending buddy was so great at helping me spend less.  And because I KNEW I would need to call her before I bought anything….it made me second guess my impulses, I only wanted to call her for important things!

10.  Forgive Yourself

This is one of my very most important tips!  We are all going to make mistakes, change is HARD…..and perfection is IMPOSSIBLE!

Remember to forgive yourself when you overspend and impulse buy.  Use these mistakes as an example to learn from.  Make a plan about how you will be do better next time, and then MOVE ON.

In Conclusion

If you are struggling with overspending and trying to figure out how to stop impulse buying, try out a few of these tips.  The most important thing is to remember to keep working at it.  You won’t cure your shopping problems over night, but through time, patience and effort you can form new habits.

 

Pin For Future Reference:

stop impulse shopping for good

how to stop buying things you don't need

Remember to just say no the next time you are tempted to shop on impulse.

Fix Your Budget After a Day of Impulse Shopping

February 20, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life11 Comments

You can fix your impulse shopping mistakes!

It happens to every single person…..and it usually happens more than once.  Everyone goes through moments of weakness when they throw all their common sense out the window, ignores their budget, and spends a day impulse shopping.

It actually happened to me just last week.  Yep.  You read that right!  Miss Sweet Frugal Life ignored her own advice and didn’t stick to her budget.  (not perfect!)

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Let me start at the beginning.

I have been slowly trying to decorate my music room.  When we moved into our house three years ago this room sat completely empty.  We have had to buy all new furnishings, and it has been expensive.

But, after years of buying a few pieces every month, I could finally see the finish line!  All I needed was a few items for the walls and then it would be done!  (yaaay!)

We did everything “by the book.”  Budgeted $50 for two frames from Hobby Lobby, stuffed my cash envelopes with the exact amount.  And I went shopping.

After a quick browse through the clearance section, I walked straight back to the frames.  Unfortunately, while on my way I walked past a picture that stopped me in my tracks.

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It was perfect and EXACTLY what I needed to finish decorating my music room.  I honestly thought that this picture was made for my house.  The colors and the style was just what I wanted and I already knew which wall I would hang it on.

I KNEW that I shouldn’t buy it, I understand Spending Triggers and I teach people daily how to avoid them.  So, I stood in the exact same spot at Hobby Lobby for ten minutes while an internal debate ensued in my head.

I knew I shouldn’t buy it, I only had enough money in my cash envelope to purchase the two frames, and I REALLY wanted the frames.

The Sad, Truthful Results

You all know how the story ends.  I let out a sigh, threw caution to the wind, and bought that picture using my credit card.

I’m not proud of this moment.  I sure wish I could tell all of you that I’m perfect ALL of the time and never impulse shop!  But, that just would not be true.  I’m just a regular lady trying my best….and sometimes that means failure.

But, you know what!  You can recover from impulse shopping.  There are things you can do to fix your mistakes.

Here are a few ways you can recover from impulse shopping.

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Give it a Day

Do not take off any tags or packaging for at least one day.  Set the item somewhere in your house where you will look at it often.  This will give you time to decide if you TRULY TRULY want to keep what you bought.

Most of the time when I do this exercise I learn quickly that I don’t want the item as much as I thought I did while at the store.  The guilt usually gets the best of me and I decide to take it back to the store.

Other times, such as the case of this picture, I decide that I do really want to keep it and I am pleased with the purchase.

Return It

When the guilt is more than you can handle you should take whatever you bought back to the store and return it.  You can return just about anything, and it’s always super quick and easy to do, just make sure to always keep your receipts for a smoother process.

Whenever I return an impulse buy I immediately feel the guilt being lifted from me.  I have NEVER regretted a return….but I HAVE regretted many purchases….think about it.

Sell Something

If you decide you DO want to keep your purchase, which is fine, you will need to come up with extra money to cover the cost.  One of the quickest ways to earn extra money is to sell something.  If you’re stumped on what to sale, check out this article for a few ideas.

This is what I decided to do last week, I had a lamp in my music room that I liked, but I just hadn’t been loving.  I had been contemplating getting rid of it for months and knew that this was the perfect time to do so.  I quickly listed the lamp on Facebook Marketplace and was able to earn $40 from it!  This easily covered the cost of the picture (plus an extra $10)!

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  • Related:  10 Secrets to Spending Less at Target

Adjust Your Budget

If you want to keep your impulse buy, and don’t want to sell anything, than you will need to find some extra money within your budget.

It is perfectly acceptable to move money around in your budget from time to time.  Try not to make a habit of it, but occasionally will be fine.

Take a good look at your budget and see if there is anything you can adjust to cover the costs of what you bought.  Could you cancel your plans to go out to dinner that night?  Or pass on a new pair of shoes?  Find something (anything!) you can do without for this month and use that money to cover the cost of your purchase.

Side Hustle

If the amount you spent was considerably high you might want to consider getting a temporary (or permanent even!) side hustle.  Is their a skill you have that could bring in a little extra money?

Perhaps making and selling a craft?  Babysit a child?  Dog walk?  Clean houses?   I truly believe EVERYONE has MULTIPLE talents they can offer to the world to bring in extra cash.  Make a list of your talents and choose one or two to turn into a side hustle.

  • Related:  12 Side Hustles for Stay at Home Moms

In Conclusion

Honestly, I’m glad I came across this picture.  It completed our music room and it’s a purchase I am so happy with!

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BUT…..I should have waited to buy it until we budgeted the money for it.  I made a mistake!  However, I learned from the mistake!  And next time I will not make the same mistake again.

Budgeting, frugal living is not about perfection….it’s about PROGRESS!  Two steps forward, one step back is ALWAYS better than standing still.

Liked what you read?  Pin it for later reference!

how to stop impulse shopping

You might be interested in a few of my other articles:

Budgeting for Beginners: FAQ

A Financial Tale of Two Sisters

What I have learned about living a sweet and frugal life on ONE income

Don’t stress next time you impulse shop, you can fix it!

Hello! I’m Melanie!

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