𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗢𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Impulse buying can be defined as the sudden and immediate purchase of a product without any pre-shopping intention. It occurs after shoppers experience an urge to buy, and is often spontaneous without any hesitation.

If it’s not planned for in your budget ahead of time, it’s an impulse buy. It can be as small as grabbing a candy bar in the checkout line (that wasn’t on your grocery list) or as big as walking into a car dealership “just to browse” and walking out with a brand-new SUV.

𝟭.) 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹

We just talked about this, but it’s worth mentioning again—don’t let your emotions control your spending habits! You might have a great day and make an impulse buy in the thrill of the moment. Or maybe you’re having a bad day, and you tell yourself you deserve something nice or that this item will make you feel better.

𝟮.) 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽

Accountability goes a long way here. Do you have a sibling or friend who’s willing to get in your face and tell you not to buy something? Bring them on your shopping trip. Tell them what you plan to buy and ask them to talk some sense into you if you start straying from the strategy.

𝟯.) 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱

Figuring out what items you want to buy and how much you’ll spend before you ever start shopping is one of my favorite ways to overcome impulse buying. With a plan in place, you’ll be less likely to give in to overspending. Your shopping list can range from grocery items to the Christmas gifts you plan to purchase for your extended family—just know what it is you want to buy before you go.

𝟰.) 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱

Here’s a real shocker: Giving in to an impulse buy won’t help you achieve your financial goals—whether that’s getting out of debt, paying off your mortgage, or investing for your future.

Buying on impulse and overspending will eat up any extra money you were saving to put toward those awesome goals. So, don’t shoot yourself in the foot here. Help yourself out by remembering the important goals you’re working toward!

𝟱.) 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱

Figure out how much money you need for the items you want to buy and only take that amount in cash. You could even go a step further and leave your debit card at home so you don’t tempt yourself to buy more with plastic (even the debit card kind).