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One afternoon at my job two years ago, an alert popped up on my mobile device: my salary had come through. It was a decent sum for a someone still at university, so I proceeded with my what I always did when payday arrived: I opened every shopping app on my phone. From Amazon to Zara, you name it. In under 60 minutes, I had parted with £90 on apparel, decorative items and a completely useless heavy blanket that I never used.

A few days later, I returned to the internet and purchased a blow dryer. I already owned one, but thought another wouldn't be a problem. Then I added light strips and two shoes that didn't even fit me. This wasn’t new behaviour. In reality, I’d been infamous for it since I started earning.

Whenever I felt stressed, exhausted or uninterested, I would mindlessly scroll until it inevitably ended in an impulsive shopping spree. My justification was constantly: “Oh well, it’s just £5.” But £5 turned into £10, then £20, and so on.

I was never entirely sure about the reason. Perhaps it was because my upbringing in a poor family, where we’d experience months without purchasing new outfits or anything to decorate the home. So any moment I had extra money, there was always a subconscious yearning for new and exciting things. Or maybe, and definitely more likely, I was just bad with money and gave in easily to the lure of consumerism.

A Revolutionary Approach

In the end, I opted to try something new. Prior to buying any item, I’d place it in my basket, delay for 24 hours, then decide on whether to finalize the purchase. The greatest advantage of this technique was that it gave me space to think – something I’d never done before. For the first occasion since I turned 18, I started asking myself: “Do I actually require this? Is it within my budget?” More often than not, the answer was no.

If I accessed my shopping apps and discovered items sitting in my cart, I’d remove them and begin anew. By employing this method, I stopped buying things that I intuitively knew I would never utilize. 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 board games.

I also contemplated buying a single-use camera for my first holiday to Croatia. After waiting I remembered I had a phone, like most people, that has a perfectly good camera, and therefore had no requirement to acquire a separate camera.

The Enduring Benefits

It additionally signifies I am more discerning about the things I do purchase, and I can at last look at my financial records devoid of experiencing shame or embarrassment.

Naturally, there have been times I’ve relapsed into old habits – it’s only natural. The difference now is that I can identify the signs sooner, especially when I’m rushing into a transaction. I’ve come to understand boredom is a strong trigger. It’s perhaps the biggest driver of my reckless expenditure.

Consumer culture preys on this boredom and our need for instant satisfaction. That’s the reason, in hindsight, forcing myself to halt before purchasing has felt strangely liberating. Gaining command over my urges and reaffirming that I don’t need to spend my diligently earned money on non-essential products feels as revolutionary as it is straightforward.