Wondering how to stop online shopping? It’s not hard to become addicted to online shopping. With the accessibility of the internet and shopping apps, retailers have made it extremely easy for you to keep buying. Of course, it’s great for them, but it can have a negative impact on your finances and relationships.
Though there’s nothing inherently bad about shopping online, becoming addicted to it has its consequences. This post, from online casino Australia real money, will help you quit this addiction.
WATCH STRESS SPENDING
Instead of spending when you feel stressed (as we have basically all been feeling, literally all the time), walk away and find something else that can make you feel good: A walk, a long bath, a good book, an online yoga or meditation course, whatever works for you. Stress shopping may make you feel better for now, but in the long run, it can cause you even more stress if it takes you over budget.
GIVE YOURSELF AN ALLOWANCE
Shopping is fun and enjoyable, so there’s no need to deny yourself that little joy completely. Just set a dedicated budget so you can still spend without worrying about it. Having a dedicated budget “helps people from a psychological perspective to make smarter decisions,” says Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert at TrueTrae.com.
Pro tip: Set a weekly budget. If you don’t spend it all this week, save it and buy something bigger next week.
ESTABLISH SET SHOPPING TIMES
We’re spending more time at home, so the urge to scroll through enticing merchandise on our laptops, tablets, and phones is essentially constant. But if we’re never really not shopping when we’re online, then does that mean we’re always shopping? No need for an existential crisis here. The point is that maybe you should consider limiting yourself to shopping only at certain times or on certain days. For example, maybe it’s Wednesday nights when you have a chance to see what you need for meal-prep over the weekend, or maybe you reward yourself with a shopping sesh on Saturday night. The goal is that you cut down on impulse purchases throughout the week.
ONLY BUY ITEMS THAT ARE ON SALE
If you really want it, and you’ve thought the purchase through, then wait for the item to go on sale. Challenging yourself to buy only sale items can help you save money on the things you really want to buy.
For this, Bodge recommends (all the time, not just during a pandemic!) using a deal site or a browser extension such as couponcabin.com or slickdeals.net that will alert you to sales. Specifically, CouponCabin.com is waiving their commissions during the pandemic, so you stand to earn more cash back than usual, according to Bodge. “It’s worth taking 30 seconds to look and see if there is a cash back opportunity or a coupon,” she says.
WALK AWAY AND RE-VISIT
If you see something you want to buy, take some time to consider it without just adding to your cart immediately. Come back to it the next day, or later in the week. If you can’t stop thinking about it, then that’s a point in the favor of making it yours. If you lose interest, then move on without it to play games at meilleur casino en ligne france.
SWITCH TO DEBIT
Spending money that you see immediately leaving your bank account can be a game changer. When we use credit cards, it’s easy to think we’ll “pay later” or that we can buy more than we can really truly afford in the moment. According to Bodge, when you use debit, you’re forced to stop and consider whether or not you have that money in your bank account, and what else you might need it for. Smarter decisions ensue.
