The convenience of online shopping is second to none, so it's no wonder why we spend so much time and money online. With one-click payments becoming the norm, it's becoming increasingly easy to over-spend without thinking about it. No matter how easy it is, online shopping is never worth the potential debt. Here are 10 tips to curb your online impulse buying.
- Having online accounts to retailers like Amazon makes it that much easier to spend money. Opt to check out as a guest, so that you have to manually fill out your address and payment information each time you purchase something. What this does is slow down the buying process and gives you extra time to reconsider any rash purchases. Plus, having to manually fill out your information before each purchase could be enough to deter you from buying.
- Similar to our first point, choosing not to store any login information will force you to manually input your username and password. The inconvenience can give you enough time to change your mind.
- Your browser's autofill feature is very handy but disabling it will force you to find your physical card every time you want to make a purchase. Not using autofill is also more secure, in case anyone else might be using your computer.
- Online wallet services can make a lot of things easier, including spending your money. A great way to avoid spending it this way is by not having a PayPal account. You can opt to use PayPal as a guest when you are paying for things online, instead.
- It's hard not to get distracted by all the great deals that keep appearing in your email inbox. An easy way to avoid this unnecessary temptation is by unsubscribing from all your favorite retailers.
- It's either a moment of pride or shame, either way, it's always important to be fully aware of what your credit card statement shows. Having this information at the forefront of your mind will help reduce any unnecessary spending.
- Budgeting apps like Mint will send you alerts when you’re overspending and will show you an unfiltered look at where you’re spending too much. In a way, it's like a little accountability app. It's free to use and will even build a budget for you automatically just by looking at where you spend your money. Check it out: Mint
- Plugins like StayFocused and Block Site will prevent you from accessing any website that you choose. You can block all of your favorite online retailers which will help reduce how much you spend on these sites.
- Save items that you want to buy in the virtual shopping cart for a minimum of three days. Using the shopping cart feature will reduce impulse decisions, and give you time to assess whether the item is something you really need.
- Create a budget and practice discipline. It's important to be accountable when it comes to your finances. Take some time and look at where your money is going and then budget accordingly. This step is easier said than done, but it's probably the more effective. Combined with the steps above, you'll be headed in the right direction in no time!
How do you avoid spending too much online? Let us know in the comments!
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