Impulse control
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Remove items from your online cart after about a month if you have not bought them.
You likely did not need them.
one person who lived it
Stop watching TV to get away from advertising.
It is bad for your brain.
one person who lived it
Stay at home to avoid the impulse to buy things that occurs when going out.
Going out triggers buying behavior.
one person who lived it
Create an online shopping cart, wait a day, return to remove unwanted items, and skip the order if free shipping isn't available.
This process helps identify the one item you actually like and often prevents the purchase due to shipping costs.
one person who lived it
- Add desired items to an online cart and then remove them later to simulate shopping without spending money.1
When seeing cheap food, check the expiration date and ask yourself how many times you will eat it before it spoils to pause and reflect.
It serves as a good moment to pause and reflect, which sometimes curbs impulse buying.
one person who lived it
Practice 'Windows shopping': browse and add items to basket, then shut down the page and wait a few days.
In most cases, I don’t go back.
one person who lived it
Cancel cable TV to stop the frustration of commercials that trigger unnecessary consumption.
Commercials create a negative reaction by telling you what you need or should have.
one person who lived it
Have a partner question where you will put free items and if you will use them within a year.
one person who lived it
Declutter your home using a method like Marie Kondo's to clearly see what you already own.
Knowing what you have reduces the desire to buy duplicates.
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Research products extensively for days—reading reviews, watching videos, and finding the best deal—and add them to your cart knowing you will not buy them.
This allows your logical brain to realize you really don’t need the item.
one person who lived it
Limit your time online and redirect that energy toward constructive tasks.
To use the dopamine for other things that would be constructive.
one person who lived it
Shop online to focus on actual needs rather than losing focus and impulse buying in physical stores.
Physical purchasing causes loss of focus and impulse buys.
one person who lived it
Delete shopping apps and block shopping websites to regain control over online habits.
One person realized how bad their online shopping habit had become.
one person who lived it
Start a creative hobby, such as crochet, to channel energy into making things rather than buying them.
It provides satisfaction from creating and something productive to do.
one person who lived it
Shop in your closet by pulling out all items from drawers or cupboards to rediscover forgotten pieces.
You may find useful things you would have otherwise spent money on.
one person who lived it
Reframe deals by recognizing that spending more than originally planned is not saving money.
You are not saving anything if you spend more than you originally planned to.
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Practice saying no to small, unnecessary impulse buys to build resistance for larger purchases.
Practicing on small items makes it easier to resist slightly larger ones; valuing space and control helps.
one person who lived it
Clean and polish your existing possessions, such as kitchen appliances or makeup, to feel like you have new items.
Cleaning makes existing items feel new.
one person who lived it
Buy multiple pairs of high-quality used items that you know work well, such as jeans, to avoid future shopping trips.
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Identify specific triggers for shopping, such as arguments or boredom, and prepare distractions like mobile games to use when urges arise.
Recognizing triggers allows you to distract yourself from the urge.
one person who lived it
Create separate categorized lists (e.g., kitchen, bathroom) for items you want.
Lists are key to managing Amazon purchases.
one person who lived it
Freeze perishable items like cheese to extend their usability and avoid fridge overflow.
It saves the item for later and avoids a fridge overflow.
one person who lived it
Replace consumerist activities with actual hobbies that require effort, such as reading, writing, cooking, walking, watching films, learning an instrument, or playing sports like tennis, pickleball, basketball, kickball, or ping pong.
These activities satisfy dopamine cravings and offer cheap entry, easy learning, and varying degrees of competitiveness.
one person who lived it
Use cynical reframing, such as calling yourself 'capitalism's little paypig,' to talk yourself out of unnecessary purchases.
It helps counteract the void capitalism creates.
one person who lived it
Adopt a holistic view of frugality that eliminates excesses in life, not just finance, to avoid obsessive perfectionism.
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