🔗 Share this article

One afternoon at my job a couple of years back, an alert popped up on my phone: my paycheck had been deposited. It was a fair amount for a student, so I did my usual when payday arrived: I launched every single shopping app on my phone. Amazon, Vinted, Etsy, Depop, Zara, the list was endless. Within the space of an hour, I had spent £90 on apparel, decorative items and a completely unused heavy blanket that never touched.

A short while after, I returned to the internet and purchased a blow dryer. I already owned one, but thought an extra one couldn't hurt. Then I included LED strip lights and two pairs of shoes that didn't even fit me. This wasn’t new behaviour. In reality, I’d been infamous for it ever since I could afford to buy my own things.

Whenever I felt stressed, exhausted or uninterested, I would doomscroll until it inevitably ended in an impulsive shopping spree. My justification was always: “It's only £5.” But £5 became £10, then £20, and so on.

I was never completely sure about the reason. Perhaps it was due to I grew up in a poor family, where we’d experience months without purchasing new clothes or anything to brighten up the home. So any moment I had extra money, there was always a hidden yearning for novel and exciting things. Or possibly, and almost certainly, I was just financially irresponsible and succumbed easily to the lure of consumerism.

The Game-Changing Strategy

Eventually, I decided to experiment with a novel idea. Before acquiring anything, I’d place it in my digital cart, wait 24 hours, then make a choice whether to finalize the purchase. The greatest advantage of this technique was that it gave me time to reflect – something I’d never taken. For the first time since I turned 18, I started asking myself: “Do I actually need this? Can I afford it?” More often than not, the response was negative.

If I accessed my shopping apps and found products lingering in my basket, I’d remove them and start fresh. Using this system, I stopped buying goods that I knew deep down I would never use. I once wanted to purchasing a trio of games, but after waiting before going to the shop, I realised I never actually play tabletop games.

I also wanted to buying a single-use camera for my first holiday to the coast. After pausing I recalled I possessed a phone, similar to most people, that features a perfectly good lens, and thus did not need to buy a dedicated device.

The Lasting Impact

It also signifies I am more discerning about the things I do purchase, and I can at last review my financial records without experiencing shame or embarrassment.

Of course, there have been occasions I’ve slipped back into old patterns – it’s only natural. The key change is that I can recognise the warning signs early, particularly when I’m hastening into a purchase. I’ve realised boredom is a strong trigger. It’s perhaps the biggest driver of my reckless expenditure.

Modern culture preys on this boredom and our desire for immediate gratification. That’s the reason, looking back, compelling myself to pause before buying has felt strangely liberating. Gaining command over my impulses and reaffirming that I don’t need to expend my diligently earned money on unnecessary goods feels as revolutionary as it is straightforward.