7 Hacks To Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need

Tip 01. Write down your financial goals

Let’s start with the most practical part about the cost of impulse shopping habits: the financial impact.

My husband and I have big financial goals. To pay off our house and fund our retirement are among the biggest of those goals. 

A couple of years ago, we became debt-free, aside from our mortgage. Achieving that motivated us to stick with our conservative spending habits.

We realized we can’t afford to spend our money on stupid, useless stuff. Spending $5 on adorable decor items from the Target bargain section on every trip may not seem like a big deal. But doing it every week of the year can add up to big bucks that could easily be an extra mortgage payment.

Having financial goals at the top of our minds trickles down to the state of our home. Because we don’t buy useless items, our house is free of clutter.

Tip 02. Set a budget

Along those same lines, it’s good to give yourself a little bit of money for fun …within reason.

We use EveryDollar to set our monthly budget. That budget also includes a set amount of money for my husband and me to each do with as we will. We can use it to eat out, to buy clothes, or anything else we determine for ourselves.

Budgeting this way helps each of us limit our spending and really think about what we’re buying before we hand over our cash.

This brings me to tip 3 …

Tip 03. Use a cash-only system

I fought against using this system ever since we started listening to Dave Ramsey. But I finally gave in.

Let me tell you, it works.

I have a better grasp and control over our spending. It’s easier to set our “fun” budgets when it’s mostly cash.

And using cash you have to do a little extra mental work to make a purchase. You really have to think about if it’s worth the trouble.

Tip 04. Use gift cards for online shopping

With this tip, I’m mainly talking about strategy for Amazon shopping. Online retailers make it too easy to click “Buy.” And Amazon is the worst of all with its free 2-day shipping.

To take control of our Amazon shopping habits, I load our account with a set amount of money each month (also known as the gift card balance). Once the balance hits $0.00, we can’t buy anymore on Amazon. We have to wait until next month.

This trick has cut down on the number of Amazon packages arriving on our doorstep.

Tip 05. Unsubscribe from retailers

Our email inboxes are the top place retailers let us know about their sales. If your email is causing you to impulse buy, cut it off.

Unsubscribe from sales emails at least until you get your spending habits more disciplined. 

Tip 06. Delete shopping apps from your devices

Again, shopping apps make it far too easy to buy. Delete them from your devices to prevent any temptation to start shopping and buying junk.

Tip 07. Only buy if it passes qualifications

I wrote this post years ago about “5 Ways To Stop Buying Clutter.” I still live by what I wrote.

Before I buy anything, I run through specific questions to determine if it qualifies as a “good” purchase:

1. Does it serve a purpose?
2. Is it on my list of things I’m looking for?
3. Is it within my budget (or are there other things I need to buy first)?
4. Am I satisfied with the quality of the product?
5. Am I tempted to buy it because I’m bored?

I’ll often walk away from purchases. If I keep thinking about it and the benefits of having it, I’ll go back and get it. (Or wait until the next sale opportunity.)