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One afternoon at my job a couple of years back, an notification hit on my mobile device: my salary had come through. It was a decent sum for a someone still at university, so I did my usual when payday arrived: I launched every retail application on my phone. Amazon, Vinted, Etsy, Depop, Zara, you name it. In under 60 minutes, I had spent £90 on clothes, decorative items and a completely useless weighted blanket that I never used.

A few days later, I returned to the internet and bought a hairdryer. I already owned one, but thought another wouldn't be a problem. Then I added light strips and two pairs of shoes that weren’t even my size. This wasn't a new pattern. In reality, I’d been infamous for it ever since I could afford to buy my own things.

Whenever I felt stressed, exhausted or uninterested, I would mindlessly scroll until it inevitably ended in an unplanned shopping binge. My excuse was always: “Oh well, it’s just £5.” But £5 became £10, then £20, and so on.

I was never completely certain about the reason. Perhaps it was due to my upbringing in a low-income family, where we’d go months without buying new outfits or anything to decorate the house. So any moment I had some disposable income, there was always a hidden desire for novel and thrilling things. Or maybe, and almost certainly, I was just financially irresponsible and succumbed easily to the lure of demands.

A Revolutionary Approach

In the end, I opted to experiment with a novel idea. Prior to acquiring anything, I’d place it in my basket, wait 24 hours, then decide on whether to finalize the purchase. The greatest advantage of this method was that it gave me time to reflect – something I’d never done before. For the first occasion since adulthood, I began asking myself: “Do I truly need this? Is it within my budget?” Most of the time, the response was negative.

If I accessed my shopping apps and found products sitting in my cart, I’d remove them and start fresh. By employing this method, I stopped acquiring goods that I knew deep down I would never utilize. I once considered purchasing three board games, but after a waiting period before visiting the shop, I realised I never actually engage with tabletop games.

I also wanted to buy a disposable film camera for my first holiday to Croatia. After pausing I remembered I had a phone, similar to most people, that features a perfectly good lens, and therefore did not need to acquire a separate camera.

The Lasting Impact

It also signifies I am more discerning about the items I do purchase, and I can at last look at my bank statements devoid of feeling shame or embarrassment.

Naturally, there have been occasions I’ve slipped back into previous patterns – it's human nature. The key change is that I can recognise the signs sooner, especially when I’m hastening into a transaction. I’ve realised boredom is a powerful trigger. It’s perhaps the primary driver of my reckless spending.

Consumer culture preys on this idleness and our need for instant gratification. That’s why, in hindsight, forcing myself to pause before purchasing has felt unexpectedly liberating. Gaining command over my urges and reaffirming that I don’t need to expend my diligently earned money on non-essential products feels as radical as it is straightforward.