6 Budgeting Tips To Get Your Online Shopping Under Control
Have you found yourself shopping online more than usual? Well, it has probably become a standby thing to do when you’ve become bored? What started as browsing from boredom has turned into shopping sprees. I will be the first to admit my new puppy has gotten me online more often, searching for collars, food, tags, training, and more. It is easy to let these $15, $20, $30, $40 purchases add up to more money than I would have typically spent.
Follow these tips and take back your budget:
- You don’t have to stop; just cut back. If you cut yourself off cold turkey, it can make you unhappy. But you can stop buying every little thing your heart (and by heart, I mean new puppy) desires. Rosy (pictured above) does not need a different color collar for each day. Think about needs, and instead of the basic, maybe splurge a little on that one item so you do not end up with ten more that you won’t use.
- Plan for your purchases. If you know that you need dog food every four weeks, set up automatic delivery of your pup’s favorite food so that you don’t end up adding extra things to your cart while shopping for the food.
- Just hit unsubscribe. If you find yourself habitually clicking the links in the latest marketing email from your favorite websites, guess where this can lead? Yes, spending more money is the answer here. If you have impulse control problems, seeing another cute Goldendoodle in a snazzy vest is probably going to lead you down the wrong path. Remember that even if you saved 50% on $100, you still spent $50 plus $10 for shipping.
- Out of sight helps keep them out of mind. Delete the shopping apps on your phone. Instead, add budgeting apps or a budget calculator app to your device You are most vulnerable when you get bored. The ease of access on your phone is the perfect storm for racking up purchases you might not otherwise have made.
- This one is easy. Remove your stored credit card information. Nothing is easier than getting that pop-up showing something you want (don’t need), then tapping it to see the offer, and the next thing you know, you have another package on the way. When you do this, it makes it more challenging to complete a purchase because you now must enter in 16 digits a CVV code, address, name, and the rest. Trust me; it will stop you from making some impulse buys.
- Use a budgeting planner, make a list before you go shopping in a store, or virtually this will keep you from dropping things in your cart that you might want but don’t need.
Did you notice a trend with the words Don’t Need? Of course, you did; the wants get us in more trouble than most people would like to admit. By taking control of impulse buying, we can set ourselves up for success in managing our budget.
While there are many other things you can do to help curb extra spending. Following these steps and finding a good budget calculator to use will help slow down your online spending. But don’t forget that spending a little on yourself or that “who’s a good girl or good boy” is what makes life more enjoyable. Just plan the expenses out so you don’t go overboard.
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