Amazon is out to destroy me.

Have you seen the “supoon”? It’s a spoon & a spatula & a measuring cup. It’s engineered to not mess up the counter. Naturally, I ordered one immediately, ONE AGAIN falling victim to an impulse purchase. Damn you, Bezos!

Impulse spending is up 51% since 2020, and 2 out of 3 of those purchases happen in bed on a phone (I feel targeted). We have all fallen victim to buying things we do not need (& can’t afford) in the heat of the moment. On average, we blow around $275 a month on these purchases. If you invested that money, in 10 years you’d have nearly 60 grand. Oof…I’ll give you a moment to sit down & recover.

I love the thrill of an impulse buy as much as the next person & it’s not reasonable to think I’m NEVER going make one, but what steps can we take to keep it under control.

Wait a day.

Something about nighttime makes me a little looney. The light of day often brings out my more reasonable self. Put it in the cart & then find something else to do. See if you're still feeling it in a day or two.

Check your emotions.

When you're angry, sad, upset or frustrated, shopping can be a way to distract yourself. Feel the feels, or at the very least, find a distraction that's healthier than draining your bank account & filling your house with crap.

Technology is the enemy.

That auto fill is the devil. Sometimes, the biggest deterrent is having to GET UP to go get your credit card info. If that applies to you, consider deleting your card from the digital memory or logging out of payment apps to give you a little nudge to think about it.

Plan for it.

If you’ve been following a while, you know we advocate for fun. You SHOULD spend a little on things that make you happy. If you make a budget and factor in a reasonable amount for impulse buys, you don’t have to feel guilty about it at all.

Drop a 👍 if you think your impulse buying has increased in the last couple of years. What steps have you taken to keep them under control? What has been your most ridiculous impulse purchase?

#smallbusiness #entrepreneur #money #impulsebuy #amazon #budget #spending