5 Smart Strategies to Avoid Impulse Buying

Impulse buys usually seem like a good idea at the time but more than often we end up regretting it.

So, it’s the end of the month and somehow you always end up broke because you can’t really help the retail therapy. With more and more online shopping sites popping up every other day, impulsive shopping has single-handedly become the reason for our sorry wallet scenarios. It is freakishly difficult to stop this unnecessary urge to shop once you hop on the bandwagon but here are some things you can try to curb it.

Maintain a Waiting Period

This is the golden rule! Once you feel like your want to empty your account at the mall make a list of the things you are eyeing. The next step would be to wait at least a week before you act on the urge. Technically, it can’t be called impulse buying if you make a list but waiting would allow you the time to weigh in your shopping priorities.

Keep Your Junk Mail

Most of the time we hit our impulse buying mode because of the spam advertisement mails that end up on the junk mail. You come across one of these mails, find something really cool that catches your attention and you end up buying it without giving it a second thought. Try unsubscribing to unnecessary notification requests from shopping sites and keeping your junk mail clean to avoid such a mix up.

Opt for Cash Payment

Studies have suggested that people tend to spend less when they are paying by cash. This is because we find it hard to spend hard cash. On the contrary card payment or online payment does not let you see your purse getting empty which makes you care less.

Set a Monthly Budget

This should be a no brainer! Make a budget at the start of the month, but don’t be too strict with it. Make sure keep some window of miscellaneous expenses but do fix a budget for that as well. Most importantly stick to your budget. If you slip, deduct the same amount from the next month’s budget.

Make A Regret-Buying List

Make a list of all the things that you have impulsively bought in the past and immediately regretted. This will act as a reminder, which will in turn help you save the clams!