10 TIPS ON CURBING IMPULSE BUYING
Introduction
Linda’s friends know her as a woman of many capacities. But what stands out most about her is that she is an impulse buyer. Linda cannot see something she likes and overlook it. Instead, she will find a way of getting it, even if it is to her detriment at that moment.
Her friends have spoken to her about the cons of impulse buying. However, Linda believes that money is meant to be spent, and there is no need to hoard it. Therefore, she will always buy what she likes because she believes in enjoying life to the fullest.
As they grew, Linda began to understand the dangers of impulse buying. Sometimes, she could like something and get it but realize that she does not need it by the next day. Therefore, she began to agree with her friends that she needed to cut down on her impulse buying frenzy.
But she was already too deep in the act, and it was almost impossible for her to stop abruptly. However, Linda has a determined mindset, and her friends were also eager to help her stop impulse buying.
So, they began researching ways to stop impulse buying, and Linda started implementing the strategies. She realized that her likeness for impulse buying had reduced in no time.
Below are some of the strategies Linda used to curb impulse buying.
How To Stop Impulse Buying
Below are some of the tips you can use to stop impulse buying. But, keep in mind that it will not happen instantly. They are:
Have a spending budget and stick with it
What do you do when you receive your salary? Do you leave it open for spending throughout the month? Unfortunately, we often see that some people do not have a spending budget, which fuels their impulse buying spirit.
It is right to set aside a particular amount for spending for the month. Once you do that, it is easier to curb your impulse buying as you are working with a specific budget. In this case, you have to train yourself and exercise self-control not to dip into non-budgeted money.
Once you are determined to work with only your spending budget for the month, it will help you curb your impulse buying spirit. For example, Linda’s friends made her keep aside a certain amount monthly that she would use for all her spending. She often struggled and even sometimes took from her other funds. But they kept encouraging her, and her willingness to stick to her budget helped her.
Now, Linda controls her spending as she knows that she must not exceed a certain amount monthly.
Have a shopping list and stick with it
Having a shopping list and sticking with it is similar to working with a budget. The goal is to ensure that you do not buy anything that isn’t on the list when you go to the mall.
Before Linda and her friends began employing these tips to curb impulse buying, Linda usually shopped without a shopping list. So, she could decide to rush to the mart to get three items but came back with over twenty items because she couldn’t help herself while shopping.
One minute she is sticking to buying toiletries, the next minute, she is adding cake, wine, ice cream, etc. These things may seem little at first, but it becomes a huge amount once it is put together and you do it regularly.
Therefore, everyone needs to have a shopping list to control impulse buying. In addition, it isn’t just about having a shopping list, but you must ensure to stick to the list.
Do away with card payment
Of course, the world is a fast-paced digital train, and we are moving with it. The evolution and change gave rise to the use of debit cards. Many people talk about the convenience of card payments. However, we can say that it is one of the biggest scams as it fuels impulse buying in many people.
It is easier to keep swiping your card when buying things, even when getting unnecessary items. But you are sure to think twice when you have to pay with cash. Of course, cards make life easier. But they make life too easy and comfortable for people, and people lose track of their reality.
So, if you are determined to stop impulse buying, you must do away with card payments when shopping. You will feel a certain pinching sensation when you have to pay huge amounts with cash while shopping. And, you will not want such to happen or continue again. Therefore, paying with cash helps to control impulse buying.
Unsubscribe from all subscriptions
Are you the type who subscribes to the newsletter of all your favourite stores? Of course, you want to be abreast of information that concerns these stores. However, you are also falling into the trap of impulse buying.
It is harder to resist the urge to buy things when you get regular emails from the store. Ideally, you are subscribed to the newsletter because you like the store and its products. Thus, it would be hard not to see a product you would like.
The store aims to make sales, and its newsletters are to convince you. But unfortunately, no matter how hard you try, you will get convinced to purchase at a point, leading to impulse buying.
So, it would be best to unsubscribe from all subscriptions to avoid such temptations. It is best to admire the store and brand from afar than for it to be in your face through its mails constantly.
Unsubscribing Linda from all her subscriptions was one of the first things her friends did to free her from the shackles of impulse buying.
Have an accountability partner
People often say that individuals need to have accountability partners in all aspects of life, and we agree with such claims. However, when you have an accountability partner, the person will always keep you in check and help you accomplish your goals.
It was not an issue for Linda to get an accountability partner as she had her friends around her. So, her friends became her accountability partners. Whenever it seemed like Linda wanted to default on impulse buying, they were there to talk sense into her head.
An accountability partner is your voice of reason. This person will always remind you why you decided to start the journey, the aim and goal, and why you should stick to it. Remember, it is said that no one is an island. The journey to stopping impulse buying will be tough. But the road will be less rocky when you have an accountability partner.
We know someone is coming to mind as you are reading this. So, reach out to that person now to be your accountability partner.
Follow the one-month wait rule
So, you are walking on the road, and you see a shiny dress at a store. It seems the dress is screaming your name, and you can already imagine yourself in it. But, do you need that dress?
Instead of rushing to get the dress and indulging your impulse buying cravings, why not pause and evaluate things? It is always best to wait for one month before making the final purchase decision.
The one-month rule states that you wait until one month to see if you need the item you want to buy. Then, if you still think you need it after a month, you can buy it. But if you do not feel the need anymore, you can see that it would have been unnecessary to get the item.
‘But what if the item gets sold out at the store?’ It is one of the common questions people ask. If the item gets sold out at the store, then it wasn’t for you in the first place.
Challenge yourself
Knowingly or unknowingly, everyone loves challenges and winning. Once you dare someone, they want to keep to the dare and show that they are capable. As you read this, we are sure that you can remember moments when someone had dared you, and you ensured to carry it out.
So, why not dare yourself?
One of Linda’s friends once had an addition with sweet drinks. One day, someone dared him that he couldn’t stay a month without taking a sweet drink. To prove the person wrong, he kept to the dare. Finally, he saw that he could stay without sweet drinks, which was the end of his addiction.
After sharing this story with Linda, she decided to challenge herself not to indulge in impulse buying. She started with small challenges like daring herself not to buy anything impulsively in a month. Slowly, she saw that she was withdrawing from impulsive buying as she was determined to keep to her dare.
Of course, there were times when she failed. But she kept on doing it, and it eventually helped her. Therefore, challenging yourself is one way of stopping impulse buying.
Reward yourself
Why do I need to reward myself if I want to stop impulse buying? We would not be surprised if you asked this question. After all, it seems weird for us to say that you should spend money and still advocate that you need to stop spending money. But, let us explain how it works.
The idea here is to reward yourself after you have completed a challenge. For example, you are an impulse buyer, and you cannot do without ice cream. However, you have challenged yourself to keep away from buying ice cream, and you have successfully done this challenge for the past three months. Thus, there would be no harm in celebrating your journey by rewarding yourself.
It encourages your mindset that you can do whatever you believe. This way, you will aspire and desire to do more. When you reward yourself, you appreciate the effort and consistency you have put into stopping impulse buying.
Delete all distractions
When Linda started her journey to stop impulse buying, her friends laughed and described her as an unserious person. It wasn’t because they were trying to discourage her. Instead, they noticed that she still had some distractions on her devices.
For example, Linda still had all her shopping apps from Kusnap to Jumia to Shein to UberEATS. With these apps, it would be impossible to resist buying impulsively. So, of course, Linda tried to argue with her friends. But in no time, she realized that they were right as she saw herself ordering from those applications.
So, she wasted no time deleting the applications so that she would not have any distractions. You cannot say that you want to stop impulse buying when you still have many distractions around you. Although it would be a gradual process, you also have to put in the effort.
Therefore, ensure to delete all the distractions from your devices.
Engage in your hobbies
Understandably, the urge to engage in impulse buying would regularly pop up. After all, it is something you have been doing, and we cannot expect that you would abruptly stop it. However, you can try to divert your mind to something else when the urge comes up.
In this case, we recommend that you engage in your other hobbies when you notice the urge to engage in impulsive buying. It is easier to fall prey to this urge when you are idle. Thus, it would be best if you kept your mind busy.
Some people may say that it is an act of running away from your issues. However, we disagree with such a point of view. Instead, we see it as a realistic way of curbing impulse buying until the person is finally over the act.
Engaging in other hobbies will take your mind off shopping at the moment. Thus, helping you to curb impulse buying.
Rounding Up
Buying things impulsively happens to everyone. However, some people have it worse than others. So, the tips we have talked about can help you curb your impulsive buying. But, keep in mind that it would be a gradual journey.
If you struggle with impulse buying, start implementing these tips now! You can stop impulsive buying by using the Mintyn Online Bank Savings features.