Braking impulse spending
Personal Finance · Beginner
Back to Explore Habits
Put time and friction back between the urge to buy and the purchase, so you regain control of your money.
Micro-habits to get started
Small actions of a few minutes to start this habit:
The 24-hour rule
Faced with a non-essential purchase, wait a day before deciding.
Most impulses simply deflate.
1 minConvert the price into hours
Work out how many hours of your work the thing you want to buy costs.
A purchase doesn't cost money: it costs the time you worked to earn it.
2 minIdentify the emotional trigger
Before buying, check whether you're doing it out of boredom, stress or sadness.
If it's emotional, meet the emotion another way rather than with the shopping cart.
2 min