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One afternoon at my job a couple of years back, an alert popped up on my phone: my salary had been deposited. It was a fair amount for a someone still at university, so I proceeded with my what I always did payday ritual: I launched every retail application on my device. From Amazon to Zara, the list was endless. In under 60 minutes, I had spent £90 on clothes, home decor and a completely useless heavy blanket that never touched.

A few days later, I went online again and bought a blow dryer. I already owned one, but reasoned an extra one wouldn't be a problem. Then I included LED strip lights and two pairs of shoes that weren’t even my size. This wasn’t new behaviour. In reality, I’d been infamous for it since I started earning.

Whenever I felt stressed, exhausted or uninterested, I would doomscroll until it inevitably culminated in an impulsive shopping binge. My justification was constantly: “Oh well, it’s just £5.” But £5 turned into £10, then £20, and so on.

I was never completely certain about the reason. Maybe it was because my upbringing in a low-income family, where we’d experience months without buying new clothes or anything to decorate the house. So any time I had some disposable income, there was always a hidden yearning for new and thrilling things. Or maybe, and definitely more likely, I was just bad with money and gave in easily to capitalism’s consumerism.

A Revolutionary Approach

Eventually, I decided to experiment with a novel idea. Before buying anything, I’d put it in my digital cart, delay for 24 hours, then decide whether to check out. The greatest advantage of this technique was that it gave me time to reflect – an action I’d never taken. For the first occasion since adulthood, I started questioning: “Do I truly require this? Is it within my budget?” Most of the time, the response was no.

If I opened my shopping apps and discovered items sitting in my basket, I’d remove them and start fresh. By employing this system, I ceased acquiring things that I intuitively knew I would never utilize. I once wanted to purchasing a trio of games, but after a waiting period before going to the shop, I understood I never actually engage with board games.

I also wanted to buy a single-use camera for my first trip to Croatia. After waiting I remembered I had a smartphone, similar to everybody else, that has a perfectly adequate lens, and therefore had no requirement to acquire a dedicated device.

The Lasting Impact

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

Naturally, there have been occasions I’ve slipped back into old habits – it’s only natural. The key change is that I can identify the signs early, particularly when I’m hastening into a purchase. I’ve come to understand boredom is a powerful trigger. It’s probably the biggest driver of my impulsive expenditure.

Consumer culture preys on this idleness and our need for instant satisfaction. That’s why, in hindsight, compelling myself to pause before purchasing has felt unexpectedly liberating. Gaining control over my impulses and reaffirming that I don’t need to expend my hard-earned money on unnecessary goods feels as radical as it is straightforward.