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One day at work a couple of years back, an notification hit on my phone: my paycheck had come through. It was a fair amount for a someone still at university, 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. Within the space of an hour, I had parted with £90 on clothes, home decor and a completely useless heavy blanket that never touched.

A few days later, I returned to the internet and purchased a blow dryer. I already owned one, but thought an extra one couldn't hurt. Then I included light strips and two pairs of shoes that weren’t even my size. This wasn’t new behaviour. In fact, I’d been infamous for it since I started earning.

Whenever I felt anxious, exhausted or uninterested, I would mindlessly scroll until it inevitably ended in an impulsive shopping spree. My justification was always: “It's only £5.” But £5 became £10, then £20, and so on.

I was never completely certain why I did this. Maybe it was due to my upbringing in a poor family, where we’d go months without purchasing new clothes or anything to decorate the home. So any moment I had extra money, there was always a hidden desire for novel and exciting things. Or maybe, and almost certainly, I was just bad with money and gave in readily to the lure of consumerism.

The Game-Changing Strategy

In the end, I opted to try something new. Before acquiring anything, I’d put it in my digital cart, delay for 24 hours, then make a choice on whether to check out. The greatest advantage of this technique was that it gave me time to think – something I’d never done before. 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 negative.

If I accessed Amazon, Depop or Zara and found products sitting in my cart, I’d clear them out and begin anew. By employing this method, I stopped buying goods that I knew deep down I would never utilize. I once wanted to purchasing three board games, but after a waiting period before visiting the shop, I realised I never actually engage with tabletop games.

I also contemplated buying a disposable film camera for my first holiday to the coast. After waiting I recalled I possessed a smartphone, like everybody else, that has a perfectly good lens, and therefore had no requirement to acquire a separate device.

The Lasting Impact

It also signifies I am more selective about the things I do buy, and I can finally look at my bank statements devoid of feeling guilt or discomfort.

Of course, there have been times I’ve slipped back into old patterns – it's human nature. The key change is that I can identify the signs early, especially when I’m hastening into a transaction. I’ve come to understand ennui is a strong trigger. It’s perhaps the primary driver of my reckless expenditure.

Modern culture exploits this boredom and our need for instant gratification. That’s why, in hindsight, compelling myself to pause before buying has felt strangely freeing. To be able to have command over my impulses and reaffirming that I don’t need to expend my diligently earned money on unnecessary products feels as revolutionary as it is simple.