🔗 Share this article

One day at work two years ago, an alert popped up on my mobile device: my salary had been deposited. It was a decent sum for a someone still at university, so I proceeded with my usual payday ritual: I opened every shopping app on my phone. Amazon, Vinted, Etsy, Depop, Zara, you name it. Within the space of an hour, I had spent £90 on apparel, home decor and a totally useless weighted blanket that I never used.

A few days later, I went online again and bought a blow dryer. I already had one, but reasoned an extra one wouldn't be a problem. Then I included light strips and two pairs of shoes that weren’t even my size. This wasn’t new behaviour. In reality, I’d been notorious for it since I started earning.

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

I was never completely certain about the reason. Perhaps it was because my upbringing in a low-income family, where we’d experience months without purchasing new outfits or anything to decorate the house. So any moment I had extra money, there was always a subconscious desire for new and thrilling things. Or maybe, and almost certainly, I was just bad with money and gave in readily to the lure of consumerism.

A Revolutionary Approach

In the end, I decided to try something new. Prior to acquiring anything, I’d put it in my digital cart, delay for 24 hours, then make a choice whether to finalize the purchase. The greatest advantage of this method was that it provided me space to think – something I’d never taken. For the first occasion since I turned 18, I started questioning: “Do I actually need this? Can I afford it?” Most of the time, the response was no.

If I accessed my shopping apps and discovered items lingering in my basket, I’d remove them and begin anew. By employing this system, I stopped buying goods that I knew deep down I would never use. I once considered purchasing a trio of games, but after a waiting period before going to the store, I realised I never actually play tabletop games.

I also contemplated buy a single-use camera for my first trip to Croatia. After waiting I remembered I had a smartphone, like most people, that features a perfectly adequate lens, and thus did not need to buy a separate camera.

The Enduring Benefits

It additionally signifies I am more selective about the things I do purchase, and I can finally look at my bank statements without feeling guilt or discomfort.

Of course, there have been times I’ve slipped back into old habits – it’s only natural. The difference now is that I can identify the warning signs early, especially when I’m rushing into a purchase. I’ve come to understand ennui is a strong trigger. It’s perhaps the biggest driver of my impulsive spending.

Consumer culture preys on this boredom and our desire for instant satisfaction. That’s the reason, in hindsight, compelling myself to halt before purchasing has felt strangely freeing. Gaining command over my impulses and reaffirming that I don’t need to spend my hard-earned money on non-essential goods feels as revolutionary as it is straightforward.