We joke about retail therapy, but it's real. When I haven't been shopping in a long time, I actually crave it. Like I get itchy about it. I don't even have to buy anything; just walk around the store looking at stuff. The pandemic made it hard to go to stores, so then I'd go online. I am much more likely to buy stuff when I'm online. Do I really need that stuff? Probably not. So how do you prevent impulse purchases especially when we don't have disposable income?
-Shop with a list only. Shop for specific items. Don’t browse.
-Track your spending so you know how much money is going to impulse purchases.
-Give yourself time to think about a purchase. Keep it in the cart for 24 hours. Think about it overnight if it's something you see in a store. You may not think it's worth making another trip.
-Let go of shaming yourself if you do buy something under impulse.
(Kens5) Photo: Getty/marchmeena29