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One afternoon at my job a couple of years back, an notification hit on my phone: my salary had come through. It was a decent sum for a student, so I did my what I always did when payday arrived: I opened every retail application on my device. Amazon, Vinted, Etsy, Depop, Zara, you name it. In under 60 minutes, I had parted with £90 on clothes, home decor and a completely useless weighted blanket that I never used.

A short while after, I returned to the internet and purchased a hairdryer. I already had one, but reasoned an extra one couldn't hurt. Then I included LED strip lights and two pairs of shoes that weren’t even my size. This wasn’t new behaviour. In reality, I’d been infamous for it since I started earning.

Whenever I felt stressed, tired or bored, I would doomscroll until it always ended in an unplanned shopping binge. My excuse was always: “It's only £5.” But £5 turned into £10, then £20, and continued.

I was never completely sure about the reason. Maybe it was due to I grew up in a poor family, where we’d experience months without purchasing new outfits or anything to brighten up the home. So any time I had extra money, there was always a subconscious yearning for new and thrilling things. Or maybe, and definitely more likely, I was just bad with money and succumbed easily to the lure of consumerism.

The Game-Changing Strategy

In the end, I opted to try a novel idea. Prior to buying any item, I’d put it in my digital cart, delay for 24 hours, then make a choice on whether to check out. The best part of this method was that it provided me space to reflect – an action I’d never taken. For the first occasion since adulthood, I began questioning: “Do I actually need this? Can I afford it?” Most of the time, the response was no.

If I accessed Amazon, Depop or Zara and discovered items lingering in my cart, I’d remove them and start fresh. Using this system, I ceased acquiring goods that I knew deep down I would never use. I once wanted to purchasing three board games, but after a waiting period before going to the shop, I understood I never actually engage with tabletop games.

I also contemplated buy a single-use camera for my first holiday to the coast. After pausing I remembered I possessed a phone, similar to everybody else, that features a perfectly good camera, and therefore did not need to acquire a dedicated camera.

The Lasting Impact

It additionally means I am more discerning about the things I do buy, and I can at last look at my financial records without experiencing guilt or discomfort.

Of course, there have been times I’ve slipped back into previous habits – it’s only natural. The key change is that I can recognise the signs early, particularly when I’m rushing into a transaction. I’ve realised boredom is a strong trigger. It’s probably the primary motivator of my reckless spending.

Consumer culture exploits this boredom and our desire for instant satisfaction. That’s why, in hindsight, compelling myself to pause before purchasing has felt strangely liberating. Gaining control over my impulses and remind myself that I don’t need to spend my diligently earned money on non-essential products feels as revolutionary as it is straightforward.