22 Feb 2023 | 4 mins
Overview
  • In a world where targeted ads pop up in our face every time we open our phone, impulse buying is pretty much human nature.
  • But if you're sick of spending your hard earned dollars on chargers with a plastic dog that humps your phone while it's charging and other less specific things, here are a few tips. 
  • Learn more about managing your money at our Money Smart Module 

If I had a dollar for every time I bought something on impulse, I’d still be completely broke. But at least I’d break even on the violin I bought from Surry Hills market a couple of years ago (no, I don’t know how to play the violin). 

I’ve genuinely bought so many things on Depop this month that I could pretty much swap out my entire wardrobe.

So if you’re like me, and really need to rein it in when it comes to throwing your money around on a whim, here are a few tips to make it a little easier. 

Let Yourself Spend Money

This might seem counterintuitive, but it's so ridiculous that it might just work. It could just be me, but when I make impulse purchases, it’s usually because I don't want to give myself enough time to worry about the money I’m spending. I’ve double clicked the side button on my phone to give Apple Pay the go-ahead before I can even mentally comprehend how much I’m spending.

So instead, allow yourself to spend money. Tell yourself you deserve a little treat. But instead of treating yourself to everything you see within 23 seconds of seeing it, make sure you’re buying things you actually want. Think about things you want in advance, then look for one that meets your criteria. Or, if you come across something that you genuinely feel like you must have, add it to your cart and wait before buying it. Which ties perfectly into my next point. 

Wait

One of the hottest tips for saving money is the 48 hour rule. Whenever you add something into your basket, leave it there for a couple days. If you still want it after you’ve given yourself some time, by all means - buy it. 

Some stores even give you a cheeky discount if you’ve had something sitting in your cart for a while and haven’t bought it. So whether you buy it or not, you’ll be doing yourself a favour. 
 

Make It Harder

Honestly, I think my impulse buying has become so much worse since I set up PayPal and Apple Pay. It’s just so easy when all the info is already on your phone, and all you have to do is click a button. I remember before I set up a PayPal account, I actually had to go and get my wallet, then type out my credit card details every time I wanted to make a purchase. Try to disable Apple Pay in your phone settings and delete the credit card details from your phone if they are stored in memory.

If you have any shopping apps on your phone, try deleting them too. Same goes for any online stores you have bookmarked on your laptop. Think about the number of times you wouldn’t have even looked at some of your impulse purchases if you actually had to open up the app store, download an app, then log in before you could buy it? 


If changing up your spending habits is a goal you want to achieve, make sure you’re not too hard on yourself if you do spend money – it’s there to be spent after all.

On top of that, there’s no need to be stressed about your money habits unless you’re unhappy with the amount you’re spending on impulse purchases. If you’ve got a healthy relationship with impulse buying, go for your life.