Why We Impulse Spend and How to Curb the Habit

There's a certain rush you feel while shopping, and it tends to spike just as you click "complete order" or walk out of a store with a bag full of new stuff.

Let's take five minutes to see this week in a new light. By Wendy Rose Gould & Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief Top of Mind Why We Impulse Spend + How to Curb the Habit   There's a certain rush you feel while shopping, and it tends to spike just as you click "complete order" or walk out of a store with a bag full of new stuff. While occasional impulse purchases aren't necessarily detrimental and some splurges are warranted, losing control over your spending can be damaging to your mental health and finances. Why We Impulse Buy  A combinations of factors impact our tendency to spend impulsively. Some people are inherently more inclined to make a compulsive purchase.  Other variables include current emotional state, context surrounding the sale (e.g. "limited availability" or a "big sale"), and a hunger to achieve a certain lifestyle status.   Impulse spending can also be a deep addiction where a "high" is felt after purchasing, and shopping can also be a way people cope with boredom or life's struggles.     As consumers, we need to continue to be on guard in separating our wants from our needs and set household financial goals."   — BOB CASTANEDA, PHD   How to Curb Impulse Spending Improving control over our impulse spending is two-part. First, we must understand our own triggers. Second, we must do what we can to remove those triggers from our lives. The following tactics can help: Avoid shopping when you feel tired or emotional Enforce a two-week waiting period before making a purchase Unsubscribe from branded emails (especially those that constantly advertise sales) Unfollow retail brands on social media Examine your financial picture and set clear spending and saving goals Seek mental health care to address spending addictions       On the Bright Side Ways to Stay Positive This Week Ways to Nurture Your Mind and Body  This week, set aside a chunk of time to examine your spending habits. You can use a free app like Mint that conveniently categorizes your spending. You can also simply look through your bank or credit card transactions. Doing this might be difficult, and it will probably be sobering, but having a clear picture of where you are now will provide you with insight on how to make changes starting today. It might sound strange, but our financial health is closely tied with our upbringing, our mental health, and our personal beliefs. Joyce Marter's "The Financial Mindset Fix: A Mental Fitness Program for an Abundant Life," provides a non-judgmental, step-by-step guide on how to cultivate financial well-being. The word "budget" can ignite a lot of feelings—to the point it makes people shy away from the concept entirely. You Need A Budget (YNAB) is a personal budgeting software tool that bucks the traditional model. It abides by four simple rules that help you gain better control of your money, reverse debt, and save more effectively.   This Week on The Verywell Mind Podcast   The idea of what it takes to be a "masculine man" has shifted a bit over the years. But, the pressure many men feel to act a certain way hasn't disappeared.   On tomorrow's episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast, I talk to Justin Baldoni. He's an actor who starred in Jane the Virgin and he's also the author a new book called Redefining Masculinity. He shares how we can redefine what it takes to "be a real man."     Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts / RSS Read These Next Is Retail Therapy an Effective Stress Reliever? READ NOW 6 Symptoms of Being a Shopaholic READ NOW Self-Help Groups for Shopping Addiction READ NOW Spread the Light Share the newsletter with someone you know to make their day a little brighter. SHARE We're open to suggestions! If you have any feedback about this newsletter, let us know at feedback@verywell.com.     You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Healthy Mind newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. If someone forwarded you this email, you can subscribe here!   A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005   © 2021 Verywellmind.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy