From a Spendthrift to a Savvy Consumer: An Easy Strategy That Changed Everything

One afternoon at my job a couple of years back, an alert popped up on my phone: my salary had been deposited. It was a decent sum for a someone still at university, so I proceeded with my usual payday ritual: I opened every shopping app on my device. From Amazon to Zara, the list was endless. In under 60 minutes, I had parted with £90 on clothes, home decor 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 had one, but thought another wouldn't be a problem. Then I included LED strip lights and two shoes that weren’t even my size. This wasn't a new pattern. In fact, I’d been infamous for it since I started earning.

Whenever I felt stressed, exhausted or bored, I would doomscroll until it always ended in an unplanned shopping spree. My justification was always: “It's only £5.” But £5 became £10, then £20, and so on.

I was never entirely certain why I did this. Maybe it was because I grew up in a low-income family, where we’d go months without purchasing new outfits or anything to brighten up the house. So any time I had some disposable income, there was always a subconscious yearning for novel and thrilling things. Or maybe, and almost certainly, I was just bad with money and gave in readily to the lure of consumerism.

A Revolutionary Approach

In the end, I opted to experiment with something new. Prior to acquiring anything, I’d put it in my digital cart, delay for 24 hours, then make a choice on whether to finalize the purchase. The greatest advantage of this technique was that it provided me space to reflect – an action I’d never done before. For the first occasion since I turned 18, I started questioning: “Do I truly require this? Can I afford it?” More often than not, the answer was negative.

If I opened Amazon, Depop or Zara and discovered products lingering in my basket, I’d remove them and begin anew. By employing this method, I stopped acquiring goods that I knew deep down I would never use. I once considered buy three board games, but after a waiting period before visiting the store, I realised I never actually engage with tabletop games.

I also wanted to buying a single-use camera for my first holiday to the coast. After pausing I remembered I possessed a phone, like most people, that has a perfectly good lens, and thus did not need to acquire a separate device.

The Lasting Impact

It also means I am more selective about the items I do purchase, and I can at last look at my bank statements devoid of feeling shame or discomfort.

Of course, there have been occasions I’ve slipped back into old patterns – it's human nature. The difference now is that I can recognise the warning signs early, especially when I’m hastening into a purchase. I’ve realised ennui is a strong trigger. It’s perhaps the primary motivator of my reckless spending.

Consumer culture exploits this boredom and our desire for immediate satisfaction. That’s why, looking back, compelling myself to halt before purchasing has felt unexpectedly freeing. 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 products feels as radical as it is straightforward.