5 Ways To Prevent Impulse Buying

How many times do you come home from the grocery store, wondering why the bill is so high?

Or maybe you come back from a shopping trip and wonder how all of those items got into your bags?

Do you ever second-guess or question?

How much time do you spend looking at your receipts, asking yourself “did I really need THAT item?”

Impulse buying can get the best of ANYONE. You see something at the end of an aisle in the store. You see an ad on tv. You see your friends carrying or wearing something you wish you had. You go out and buy it. How do you break the cycle of impulse buying?

It starts with self-control. Don’t you sometimes despise those words: SELF-CONTROL. As much as want to be known as someone who has self-control, we dislike the process of getting there. What does it take to be self-controlled and not fall into the trap of impulse buying?

1. Don’t buy what you don’t need. Sounds simple, yet the road there is long and bumpy. You can be intentional one week, but the next week, find yourself in the trap again. In order to accomplish this step, you need to determine for yourself, what you need. What do you NEED, not what you WANT.

2. Don’t listen to the ads. Don’t flood your mind with what the world tells you, you need. Your favorite store bombards you with sale fliers in the mail, telling you the best deal is RIGHT NOW. The billboard along the road, screams to you the need for THIS. The latest tv commercial says you will be happier with this item; that you can’t begin your morning, without “this” item. The radio tells you that TODAY, if you go to THIS restaurant, you can save “this” amount of money. Don’t let the world tell you want you need. Don’t listen to the ads.

3. Enlist a friend. Find someone who can keep you accountable to not impulse buy. Those you shop with most – tell them from the beginning, that you do not want to buy anything you do not need. I know, what’s a shopping trip without splurging a little? Well, it gives you that instant gratification, but what good does it do after that? Gives you happiness for just a moment – then it’s fleeting.

4. Know your triggers. If going to the mall causes you to impulse buy, limit your trips there. If shopping on Etsy or E-Bay causes you to impulse buy with just a few clicks of the mouse, don’t peruse those websites. If going to garage sales woos you into buying things you don’t need, don’t stop. This looks different for each person, but we ALL have triggers. There is something that gets you excited to just buy and buy endlessly. Know what your trigger is.

5. Be aware. Preventing impulse buys begins with self-control. Know what you often buy most on impulse. Know who you are with. Be conscious of the decisions you make when shopping. Believe it or not, you CAN prevent impulse buying. Your bank account with thank you more and more, the more you prevent!

Start somewhere. Start small. Don’t let culture tell you what you need. You know and stand strong!