How many time have you spent your money on something that you didn’t use? Or maybe later down the road, you regretted the purchase because you just realised you never needed it in the first place.
Well, I guess I’m not my one in this shoe. If you’ve been there before or it’s now become a part of your habit, then don’t worry, as we’d be discussing today on some ways you can stop buying things you don’t need. Get your pens and paper set because this is going to be more of a profound revelation!
Understand your triggers.
If you take the time to figure out why you do buy things involuntarily, you’ll be surprised to know that some things do trigger such impulses. For some people it’s because of boredom, loneliness, stressed or maybe you’re just trying to keep up with the Jones’s. Once you’re able to figure out what triggers those impulse of buying whatever you see, then you’re one step ahead of conquering this challenge.
Change your ideology
Our belief defines us, and the case is no different in shopping. If you have a materialistic mind-set, you’ll probably never stop buying things that are never going to add value to your life. So, if you want to stop this bad and financially draining habit, revolutionise you kindly. Learn to know that it isn’t everything that you need.
Like, from time to time, keep reminding yourself that you’re okay and do not need to purchase any item you see. Condition your mind into believing that impulse buying is an enemy to you. Once your brain is conditioned to thinking of it this way, you’ll start having the energy to resist such impulse shopping.
Stop Carrying Credit Cards Around
You can’t keep playing with fire and don’t expect to get burnt. We all know how easy and relieving it feels when we buy stuff using our credit cards. The invincible and pleasuring experience of swiping a card and getting whatever you want. Now, while that may be all fun, especially when you ran out of physical cash, holding an atm is one of the most potent triggers of impulse shopping, and here is why.
Once you’re with your Credit Card, your mind is already conditioned into looking for things to shop with it. That’s why once your eye comes in contact with something you feel you’ll need at that moment, you without any hesitation pay for it. But, if you tried paying and there were insufficient funds in it, or the card got declined due to the limits you placed on the map, the mask of such impulse shopping will automatically fall off.
In other words, the adrenaline that comes with impulse shopping only becomes active when everything is readily available. If you’re out of cash both in the Credit card or physically, then buying something you won’t need will never occur. And once you continue doing this, setting a limit on your credit card, not going out with it most times, and carrying less cash around with you, impulse shopping will become a thing of the past in your life.
Social Immunity
73% of the impulse shopping we see today from people are often because of social influence. People shop for things they don’t need because they probably saw it on someone in any of the social media like Instagram, facebook, snapchat etc. So, have a good reality check on your life. Remind yourself once again that what you see on social media isn’t real, and that even if they are, you gain no satisfaction from following that they do. Be unique!
Today, a lot of people often tend to underestimate the lethal effect of buying what they don’t need in their financial status until it is always too late. But you, you’re lucky enough to have read these tips now. Apply them to your daily life before it gets too late for you also.