When you are out shopping it is easy to get carried away and give in to all temptation. In these tough economic times giving in can have knock-on effects and consequences that ruin your carefully constructed budget. This latest blog explores ways to cut your impulse buying. We are all guilty of impulse buying at some point; granted some of us have made bigger buys than others, nevertheless at a time when we are all feeling the pinch we need to recognised our weaknesses and cut impulse buying once and for all. Here are our top tips for doing so:
  • Always put a shopping list together before you leave the house, whether you are shopping for clothes, food or anything for the home and garden – make sure you have a list of what you want before you go.
  • Try paying in cash instead of using your card, as using cash can help curb your chances of impulse buying. This is because when you see the money being handed over for your impulse buy and the amount for your actual planned shopping go down, you will be shocked into cutting back.
  • If you are cutting back on the amount of money you are spending for a particular reason – maybe a holiday, a car, a house – keep this in mind when you are shopping. Remember with every extra item that you buy you will get further away from your goal.
  • Learn to understand the difference between needing and wanting something. If you need something then you should have already planned to buy the item, if not then you probably don’t need it and are just buying it because you think you need it.
  • Identify when you are more likely to impulse buy and what you are likely to buy – once you know this you know which places and situations to avoid and will help you in the future.
  • If you are feeling low then you will want to avoid shopping as you are more likely to buy impulsively to cheer yourself up. Take a look at an older blog of ours which explores the shoppers known as ‘comfort spenders’.
  • If there is something that you do see, and you want it, add it to a wish list. Leave it for a few weeks and if you still feel the same about it then look at places in your budget to make savings so that you can treat yourself. If you no longer want the item, then you know you it was just an impulse buy.
  • Try to avoid browsing in shops, if you have your list, go into the shop, get what you need, pay and leave. Walking around will only increase your chances of impulse buying.