Impulse Spending: How to Break the Habit and Save More

Impulse Spending: How to Break the Habit and Save More

Blog Article

We’ve all experienced it—you pop into a shop for one thing and walk out with a basket filled with products you never intended to purchase. Buying on impulse is one of the largest challenges to building savings, and it can quickly derail your budget if you’re not careful. The good news is that overcoming spontaneous purchases is possible, and with a little self-control and a few helpful tricks, you can start saving more money and making wiser spending decisions. The key is to understand the causes behind your spending and shift those behaviors with positive, money-saving behaviours.

The first step to reducing impulsive buying is to create a budget and follow it. Knowing financial advice exactly how much money you have available for discretionary spending each month can help you fight the temptation to make unplanned buys. When you see something you want to buy, take a break—pause for 24 hours before making a purchase. This gives you time to think about whether you truly want it or if it’s just an unnecessary desire. More often than not, you’ll find that the urge to purchase disappears, and you’ll keep your money in your pocket.

Another great tip is to limit your exposure to temptation. If buying online is your downfall, remove yourself from mailing lists and remove saved payment details from your favourite shopping websites. If you tend to spend impulsively in person, shop without credit cards and use only cash. By creating barriers to spending, you’ll have more time to think about your purchases and avoid getting caught in impulsive buying habits. Changing your spending habits may take time, but the eventual payoffs—greater savings and lower money worries—are definitely rewarding.