Monitor Your Impulse Spending Urges

Every Tuesday is Finance & Family Day at Zen Habits.

Do you have a problem with impulse spending? If so, the first step to controlling it is monitoring your urges. Make it a goal to monitor and track your spending urges over the next week or two.

Keep a small notebook handy, and every time you get an urge to buy something, practical or not, put a little tally in the notebook. Tally every urge, whether it is to buy something online, or at a store, looking at a catalog, thinking about that new iPod while at your desk, or even if it’s multiple urges to buy the same item.

Whether you buy the item or not, just keep track of the urges. Many times the urges are subconscious. You won’t be able to control your spending if you’re not aware of it.

Some other tips, beyond this first step, for controlling impulse spending:

Avoid the mall or Walmart other shopping areas. Just going there practically guarantees you’ll buy something on impulse. Do something outdoors or at home instead.
If you have to go shopping, go with a list. And stick to the list. Tell yourself that anything not on the list is strictly verboten.
Keep a 30-day list. If you have an urge to buy something, make it a rule that you have to first write it on your 30-day list. If, at the end of those 30 days, you still want it, then you can buy it (if you have the money). Just the act of putting it on the list (awareness) and forcing yourself to wait (delay) can make a big difference.
Breathe. And drink water. This delay can help you get past your urge.
Find other things to do with your friends or family. Do you hang out with people who love to shop as a pastime? Encourage them to do something else. Go outside, to a park, to the beach. Have a potluck dinner at home. If your friends refuse to change, you may want to give some thought to who you hang out with, if you have different values.

Monitor Your Impulse Spending Urges

Every Tuesday is Finance & Family Day at Zen Habits.

Do you have a problem with impulse spending? If so, the first step to controlling it is monitoring your urges. Make it a goal to monitor and track your spending urges over the next week or two.

Whether you buy the item or not, just keep track of the urges. Many times the urges are subconscious. You won’t be able to control your spending if you’re not aware of it.

Some other tips, beyond this first step, for controlling impulse spending:

Avoid the mall or Walmart other shopping areas. Just going there practically guarantees you’ll buy something on impulse. Do something outdoors or at home instead.
If you have to go shopping, go with a list. And stick to the list. Tell yourself that anything not on the list is strictly verboten.
Keep a 30-day list. If you have an urge to buy something, make it a rule that you have to first write it on your 30-day list. If, at the end of those 30 days, you still want it, then you can buy it (if you have the money). Just the act of putting it on the list (awareness) and forcing yourself to wait (delay) can make a big difference.
Breathe. And drink water. This delay can help you get past your urge.
Find other things to do with your friends or family. Do you hang out with people who love to shop as a pastime? Encourage them to do something else. Go outside, to a park, to the beach. Have a potluck dinner at home. If your friends refuse to change, you may want to give some thought to who you hang out with, if you have different values.

Comments (9)

Benno Says:

March 1st, 2007, 6:00 am

This is such a good idea…. I regularly find myself making small impulse buys and these I think are the worst

Leo Says:

March 1st, 2007, 6:51 am

Thanks for the comment, Benno. I’m happy if I helped at all. And btw, I think most of us have that problem. I’ve been getting better in recent years, simply because of my focus to eliminate my debt.

DW Says:

March 5th, 2007, 5:53 am

Good article. It seems that purchasing stuff can be as much a compulsion as any drug. It’s pretty insidious!

We’ve had a much better time after no longer watching television. We simply don’t watch it. If the TV goes on, it’s to put in a movie from Netflix, nothing more. And we always watch it together. It’s easier to control urges when you don’t know what is out there to buy. ;-)

Thanks for the tips.

Leo Says:

March 5th, 2007, 12:23 pm

Thanks for the excellent comment, DW! I appreciate you sharing your experiences — it’s inspiring to hear others having success. If you’re interested in writing about it in a guest post for Zen Habits, shoot me an email at zenhabits (at) gmail (dot) com.

Leah Says:

March 5th, 2007, 20:27 pm

I totally agree. I’m a pretty frugal person (not into big shopping sprees, and I save up money for any big purchase I want) . . . but I still have a weakness for target. I go in there intending to spend $5 or $10 (say, to buy toilet paper and some shampoo), and I always come out with $30 or $50 worth of stuff. The cheap DVDs are my main weakness. I find it’s better to just not go there or to take a strict list when I do.

Leo Says:

March 5th, 2007, 20:38 pm

Hi Leah … I empathize. I’m a fairly frugal person too, but I buy stuff on impulse just like everyone else. My weak spot is KMart (we don’t have Target or Walmart on Guam) — there’s always stuff there that I didn’t know I wanted! So I stay away for the most part. Thanks for the great comment.

Myra Says:

June 8th, 2007, 23:00 pm

Another good idea is, if you know you will be somewhere that impulse spending is a problem, bring only a fixed amount of money or none at all. Then, even if you get the urge, you can’t act on it.

BTW, I just found this blog recently, but I love it. I’ve already begun working on editing my house! Thank you!

Marvin Says:

February 1st, 2008, 6:30 am

Breathe. And drink water. This delay can help you get past your urge.

????

Stupid post!

marvin

Kristi Says:

August 20th, 2008, 9:39 am

My friend and I are both very tempted by impulse buys at places like Target, so once every week or two (when we need to shop for anything other than food) we exchanges lists and shop for the other person using cash. This way, if I am shopping for someone else, I am focused in the store (and not distracted by all of the new items I never knew I liked) and we both end up spending less. This may not work for everyone, but it has worked well for my friend and I.