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This post is all about how to stop yourself from shopping online.
We all have been there: you’re still up in bed with your laptop, browsing shopping sites in the middle of the night. You’re adding more and more items to your shopping basket and you’re finally clicking the checkout button. Your heart’s elevated and you pay for your purchases. The order confirmation is instantly sent to your inbox.
Voila, just like that, you’ve spent another $200 dollars because you just can’t stop shopping online. Yes, I have been there, girl! Many times, if I am quite honest with you. It’s like how much more can we possibly stuff into our closets if our closets are already working at their maximum capacity? It’s a never ending cycle and not an easy one to break – but what to do when you just can’t stop shopping…how to stop yourself from shopping online?
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1. Ask Yourself WHY You Can’t Stop Shopping Online?
There have to be reasons why you can’t stop shopping online. Maybe you are trying to fill a void in your life. Maybe you are bored and engage in shopping online as a means to entertain yourself. Maybe shopping online is a way for you for a moment to escape the reality. Perhaps it is not because you have signed up to all sorts of marketing emails that target you and influence you to make purchases online. Whatever the reason might be, in an effort to stop shopping online, you have to start by asking yourself WHY you cannot stop.
2. Leave Your Laptop In Another Room Overnight
The closer you are to your laptop, even if already in bed, the more the risk, that you are going to open your laptop at night and shop online. A recent article form money.com states that most online shopping happens late after midnight, which isn’t the best time to make decisions. This typically happens out of boredom or sudden urge and because the devices, such as our cell phones and laptops usually are next us, so quite easy within reach.
So, if you aren’t able to easily reach for your laptop, logically you wouldn’t be able to easily turn it on. I have made it a habit to unplug all devices and put my cell phone and laptop in the living room because I want my bedroom to be calm and without technology before I go to sleep.
3. De-clutter Your Closet
When you de-clutter your closet and take out each and every piece of clothing you own, you will get a real sense of how much you already have. Sometimes it takes a de-cluttering session to wake you up. Realizing that you have enough already will stop you from continuing to shop online. Shopping your closet doesn’t only save you a bunch of money, you are also contributing positively to the environment by foregoing online shopping.
4. Find Another Hobby
If you have treated shopping online like a hobby, then it’s definitely time to find a new one. Shopping online as a means to spend your time on is not really spending your time in the most valuable and profiting way. Find another hobby like painting, dancing or pottery. Whatever it is, you will find that chances are you will less likely continue to shop online.
5. Tell Your Friends And Family
Oftentimes when we keep something to ourselves, it becomes very hard for us to deconstruct a certain situation. When you let your friends and family know that you want to stop shopping online, they will most likely support you with your intervention. It’s that family support system that could help you to stay financially on track.
6. Look At Your Latest Bank Statements
Sometimes all it takes to pull the breaks on shopping when you take a deep dive into your credit card / bank statements. In order to change your habit of online shopping, motivation to stop could come from realizing how much money you are spending online to begin with. You must get real first and see how much money – possibly – is being wasted.
A good thing to do is grab your latest statements, going back 2-3 months to see where and how much money you actually spent engaging in online shopping. From there you can easily determine whether your online shopping habit is one you need to work on and maybe reduce for a while.
7. Unsubscribe From All Online Newsletters
One way how we stop getting sucked into buying online is to finally unsubscribe from all unwanted newsletters with offers, deals and tempting discounts!
You are much more likely to spend money online after having seen a promotion, especially it there’s a sale or discount. It’s intriguing and while you might think you are saving money by buying something online on discount, don’t forget that you are still spending money. So take some time to unsubscribe form all newsletters that have landed in your inbox and see if you are less tempted to make a purchase online.
8. Imagine What Else You Could Do With Your Money
Instead of spending money online, you could check to see if you can spend the money elsewhere, which will generate an actual return. Imagine what else you could do with your money other than constantly shopping online.
This could be spending your money on your personal development. You could spend money on taking courses; perhaps even a course on financial accounting or bookkeeping or budgeting. You could spend money on learning a new language. There are many language instructors online. Learning a new language can be exhilarating and benefit you quite well.
Finally, instead of spending money on goods that you might not need, you could spend your money on items that actually bring you a return. One of my favorite things is to invest in industrial shares that pay dividends or my set-and-forget ETFs. Buying shares or ETFs online is easily done in just a few steps and doesn’t even take more time than ordering a pair of shoes online.
Next time you want to spend $100, $200, $500 or even 1$000 dollars online on clothes, gadgets or whatever stuff you think you need, maybe you should get in touch with an advisor or learn about d-i-y investing. Many great books have taught the Buffet or Bogle methods, something to look into if you are interested in multiplying your money rather than dissolving it.
Final Note
Look, everyone likes to online shop – including me – but when you are overdoing it without sense and with poor judgment, things can get out of hand! You could be doing other good things with your money and not contribute to more accumulation of stuff in your home. Instead,
This post is all about how to stop yourself from shopping online.
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