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One day at work a couple of years back, an notification hit on my mobile device: my salary had been deposited. It was a fair amount for a student, so I proceeded with my usual when payday arrived: I opened every shopping app on my device. Amazon, Vinted, Etsy, Depop, Zara, the list was endless. In under 60 minutes, I had spent £90 on apparel, decorative items and a completely useless heavy blanket that I never used.

A few days later, I went online again and bought a blow dryer. I already owned one, but thought an extra one wouldn't be a problem. Then I included LED strip lights and two shoes that didn't even fit me. This wasn't a new pattern. In reality, I’d been infamous for it ever since I could afford to buy my own things.

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

I was never completely sure why I did this. Maybe it was because I grew up in a poor family, where we’d experience months without buying new clothes or anything to brighten up the house. So any moment I had some disposable income, there was always a hidden yearning for novel and exciting things. Or maybe, and definitely more likely, I was just bad with money and succumbed easily to the lure of demands.

The Game-Changing Strategy

In the end, I decided to try a novel idea. Prior to buying anything, I’d place it in my digital cart, delay for 24 hours, then decide whether to check out. The greatest advantage of this method was that it provided me time to reflect – something I’d never taken. For the first occasion since I turned 18, I started questioning: “Do I truly require this? Can I afford it?” Most of the time, the answer was negative.

If I opened Amazon, Depop or Zara and discovered items lingering in my cart, I’d clear them out and start fresh. By employing this method, I stopped buying things that I knew deep down I would never utilize. I once considered purchasing three board games, but after a waiting period before going to the shop, I understood I never actually play tabletop games.

I also contemplated buying a single-use camera for my first holiday to Croatia. After pausing I remembered I had a phone, similar to most people, that has a perfectly good camera, and therefore did not need to acquire a dedicated device.

The Lasting Impact

It also means I am more discerning about the items I do purchase, and I can at last look at my financial records devoid of experiencing guilt or discomfort.

Naturally, there have been occasions I’ve slipped back into previous habits – it’s only natural. The key change is that I can identify the warning signs early, especially when I’m rushing into a purchase. I’ve realised ennui is a powerful catalyst. It’s perhaps the primary driver of my impulsive expenditure.

Consumer culture exploits this boredom and our desire for instant gratification. That’s the reason, looking back, compelling myself to pause before purchasing has felt strangely liberating. To be able to have command over my impulses and reaffirming that I don't have to expend my hard-earned money on non-essential goods feels as revolutionary as it is straightforward.