I’ve realized that I literally can’t stick to my list when I’m shopping. I start off shopping with it, but get derailed within like 30 seconds and spend so much more money at Target than what I planned on by adding the most random items to my cart. Last week I bought 2 ceramic cat figurines… why do I need those? I know I’m not the only person that does this but hoping for some moral support – what are other people’s go-to guilty pleasure purchases? How do you avoid them and stick to a budget?|
Personally, every time I buy something I ask myself a few questions:
Do I need this? Will I still want this in a week?
And then based on the price I will ask myself one last question: let’s say I’m paid $13 an hour and what I want is $26.
Is this worth 2 hours of work?
This might work, it might not, but it works for me because I don’t think a Starbucks coffee is worth 30 minutes of work, or a candy bar 20 minutes of work. But I don’t realize it until I put it into something measurable.
@JOSH The is so true, and something that I have always done, even if I wish I didn’t. I always compare whatever I buy to how many hours it takes me to get it. It really makes me say no to almost everything except food.
I also ask myself:
- Where will I put this?
- Will I be annoyed having one more thing to dust?
- Do I already have something similar?
These questions & yours keep away 90% of would-be impulse purchases. It has been life changing for me since implementing this while also slowly decluttering my life.
Pick up orders! Order your groceries online and pick them up. Do not go in the store. Plan your meals and order exactly what you need for the week. It saves me hundreds of dollars every month.
@JANO10 This is the way
@JANO10 My husband does this. He shops ads and meal preps based on sales. We do grocery pickup at a couple different stores. No time wasted inside and no impulse buys.
For me, i do several loops with the item in the store and that seems to make the dopamine of “sweet treat find” wear off to where i can put it away.