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One afternoon at my job two years ago, an alert popped up on my mobile device: my paycheck had been deposited. It was a decent sum for a student, so I did my usual when payday arrived: I launched every retail application on my phone. From Amazon to Zara, you name it. Within the space of an hour, I had parted with £90 on clothes, home decor and a completely unused heavy blanket that never touched.

A short while after, I returned to the internet and purchased a blow dryer. I already had one, but reasoned another wouldn't be a problem. Then I added LED strip lights and two shoes that weren’t even my size. This wasn't a new pattern. In reality, I’d been notorious 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 excuse was constantly: “Oh well, it’s just £5.” But £5 turned into £10, then £20, and so on.

I was never completely certain why I did this. Perhaps it was because my upbringing in a poor family, where we’d go months without purchasing new outfits or anything to brighten up the home. So any time I had extra money, there was always a subconscious desire for novel and exciting things. Or maybe, and almost certainly, I was just bad with money and succumbed easily to the lure of consumerism.

The Game-Changing Strategy

Eventually, I opted to experiment with something new. Before buying any item, I’d place it in my digital cart, delay for 24 hours, then decide on whether to finalize the purchase. The best part of this technique was that it gave me time to think – 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?” More often than not, the answer was no.

If I accessed my shopping apps and discovered products lingering in my basket, I’d clear them out and begin anew. By employing this system, I ceased buying things that I knew deep down I would never use. I once considered buy a trio of games, but after waiting before visiting the store, I realised I never actually play tabletop games.

I also contemplated buying a single-use camera for my first trip to Croatia. After waiting I recalled I possessed a smartphone, similar to everybody else, that features a perfectly adequate camera, and thus had no requirement to acquire a separate camera.

The Lasting Impact

It also signifies I am more selective about the items I do purchase, and I can finally look at my bank statements without feeling shame or discomfort.

Naturally, there have been occasions I’ve slipped back into previous patterns – it’s only natural. The key change is that I can identify the warning signs sooner, especially when I’m rushing into a transaction. I’ve come to understand boredom is a strong catalyst. It’s perhaps the primary motivator of my impulsive spending.

Consumer culture exploits this idleness and our desire for immediate gratification. That’s the reason, in hindsight, forcing myself to pause before buying has felt strangely liberating. To be able to have command over my urges and reaffirming that I don’t need to expend my hard-earned money on non-essential goods feels as revolutionary as it is straightforward.