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One afternoon at my job a couple of years back, an notification hit on my phone: my salary had been deposited. It was a decent sum for a someone still at university, so I did my usual payday ritual: I opened every single retail application on my device. From Amazon to Zara, the list was endless. Within the space of an hour, I had spent £90 on clothes, home decor and a totally useless weighted blanket that never touched.

A few days later, I returned to the internet and purchased a blow dryer. I already owned one, but thought an extra one wouldn't be a problem. Then I included light strips and two shoes that weren’t even my size. This wasn’t new behaviour. In fact, 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 unplanned shopping spree. My justification was constantly: “Oh well, it’s just £5.” But £5 turned into £10, then £20, and continued.

I was never entirely sure why I did this. Perhaps it was because I grew up in a low-income family, where we’d experience months without purchasing new clothes or anything to brighten up the home. So any moment I had some disposable income, there was always a subconscious yearning for novel and exciting things. Or maybe, and definitely more likely, I was just bad with money and succumbed easily to the lure of demands.

The Game-Changing Strategy

In the end, I decided to try a novel idea. Before acquiring any item, I’d put it in my digital cart, delay for 24 hours, then make a choice on whether to check out. The greatest advantage of this method was that it gave me space to think – an action I’d never done before. For the first occasion since I turned 18, I started asking myself: “Do I truly require this? Is it within my budget?” More often than not, the answer was no.

If I opened Amazon, Depop or Zara and found products lingering in my cart, I’d clear them out and start fresh. By employing this method, I stopped buying things that I intuitively knew I would never utilize. I once wanted to purchasing three board games, but after a waiting period before visiting the shop, I understood I never actually engage with board games.

I also wanted to buy a disposable film camera for my first holiday to the coast. After waiting I remembered I possessed a smartphone, like everybody else, that has a perfectly good lens, and thus had no requirement to buy a separate camera.

The Enduring Benefits

It additionally signifies I am more discerning about the items I do purchase, and I can at last look at my financial records devoid of experiencing shame or discomfort.

Of course, there have been occasions I’ve relapsed into old patterns – it’s only natural. The key change is that I can identify the signs sooner, particularly when I’m rushing into a transaction. I’ve realised boredom is a powerful trigger. It’s perhaps the primary motivator of my impulsive spending.

Modern culture exploits this idleness and our desire for immediate satisfaction. That’s why, in hindsight, compelling myself to halt before buying has felt strangely liberating. To be able to have command over my impulses and remind myself that I don't have to expend my diligently earned money on non-essential products feels as radical as it is straightforward.