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One afternoon at my job two years ago, an notification hit on my phone: my salary had been deposited. It was a decent sum for a someone still at university, so I did my what I always did when payday arrived: I opened every single shopping app on my device. From Amazon to Zara, you name it. In under 60 minutes, I had spent £90 on clothes, decorative items and a completely unused weighted blanket that I never used.

A short while after, I returned to the internet and purchased a hairdryer. I already owned one, but thought an extra one couldn't hurt. Then I added LED strip lights and two shoes that didn't even fit me. This wasn't a new pattern. In fact, I’d been infamous for it since I started earning.

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

I was never completely sure why I did this. Maybe it was because my upbringing in a low-income family, where we’d experience months without buying new clothes or anything to decorate the home. So any moment I had extra money, there was always a hidden desire for new and thrilling things. Or maybe, and almost certainly, I was just financially irresponsible and gave in readily to capitalism’s consumerism.

A Revolutionary Approach

In the end, I decided to try something new. Prior to acquiring any item, I’d put it in my digital cart, delay for 24 hours, then decide whether to check out. The best part of this method was that it provided me space to reflect – an action I’d never taken. For the first occasion since adulthood, I started questioning: “Do I truly need this? Is it within my budget?” More often than not, the answer was negative.

If I opened Amazon, Depop or Zara and found products lingering in my cart, I’d clear them out and start fresh. By employing this system, I ceased acquiring things that I intuitively knew I would never use. I once considered buy a trio of games, but after waiting before going to the shop, I realised I never actually play tabletop games.

I also wanted to buy a single-use camera for my first holiday to Croatia. After pausing I remembered I had a smartphone, like everybody else, that has a perfectly good lens, and thus did not need to acquire a separate device.

The Lasting Impact

It additionally means I am more selective about the items I do purchase, and I can at last review my financial records without experiencing guilt or discomfort.

Of course, there have been times I’ve slipped back into previous patterns – it's human nature. The key change is that I can recognise the signs early, particularly when I’m rushing into a purchase. I’ve come to understand boredom is a strong trigger. It’s probably the primary driver of my impulsive expenditure.

Modern culture exploits this boredom and our need for instant satisfaction. That’s the reason, looking back, forcing myself to pause before purchasing has felt strangely freeing. To be able to have command over my impulses and remind myself that I don't have to spend my hard-earned money on unnecessary products feels as revolutionary as it is simple.