Select the Day of the Week to Shop All Online
How is your month going without spending, friends? In truth, I’ve had several issues in the past few days, including buying Etsy fueled by wine. If you’re having minor issues too, here’s a tip from Reddit that can help curb impulse buying.
Redditor rodneyjesus writes that in order not to notice the “little things” here and there – which can add up quite quickly – they decided to designate a specific day of the week “Amazon Day”, which works as follows:
- Choose a day of the week for online shopping (for example, Monday)
- During the week, write down what you need / want to buy (preferably on a board for clarity)
- Go through the list every Monday (along with your significant other, if possible).
- Buy what’s important
- Delete what is not
- Don’t shop the rest of the week.
The advantage is twofold. You’re cutting back on purchases, of course, but Rodneygesus writes that it was actually helpful to go through the list with your spouse. “It also gave us time to make purchasing decisions together, instead of constantly wondering what the other person is spending their money on.”
Your mileage will, of course, vary – perhaps you can cut it down to once every two weeks or once a month. But this is similar to other strategies for dealing with impulse buying, such as the 72-hour rule. The idea is that after spending some time between initially wanting something and buying, you will realize that you don’t really need or need it, or maybe you already have an item or something similar.
And getting your spouse or partner to work allows you to come to a consensus, set goals together, and avoid any controversy over accidental purchases that the other might not find necessary. Like a bust of a Greek goddess that you thought you needed after two glasses of Chardonnay.