Online shopping is an amazing, relatively new way to get pretty much anything you want at the cheapest price possible.
It allows us to buy products without having to leave the house. And although this online spending can be a positive for most people, there’s an inherent danger to this too. Some people find that once they’ve started online shopping, they can’t stop.
The issue is that we shop online to buy things that we need, but also things that we simply want too.
These excess goods can add up, and before you know it, you’ve developed an online shopping habit that you can’t control. Here’s what to do if you think you may have a shopping addiction.
Signs You’ve Developed An Online Shopping Addiction
Excessive spending is becoming more common, and eventually can develop into compulsive spending online. There are some indicators your online shopping habits may have gotten out of hand;
- You’re hiding your spending and purchases from your spouse or partner.
- You take money from bills to fund shopping.
- You’ll start transferring the money for buying the items you want. It means there’s nothing left for a bill or another financial life burden.
- You visit sites every day.
- You convince yourself that you have to buy it because it’s on sale (shopping sales are one of the most common things people waste money on).
- You’ve lost track of what you’ve bought online due to impulse buying.
- Your credit card debt is rising because of your spending.
Most people start online shopping to save money, but this can easily develop into compulsive shopping, which can have a negative effect on your mental health. If you want to tackle your habit, there are some things that you can do to face this head on.
Delete Your Credit Card Details from Your Browser and Your Phone
For many people, limiting your shopping triggers is the best way to control your spending habits.
Monitoring trigger shopping habits can be a very effective way to alter or even break a person’s habits (although these habits will always be present).
It is still possible for you to stop online shopping now, and although it is really hard to overcome the modern technologies, this starts with getting rid of the methods you’re using in the first place – your card details.
Most people have this automatically set up to enter into the checkout of their favorite stores.
By getting rid of these details from your browser cache, you can add another obstacle in the pathway to a quick and easy checkout, stopping yourself from succumbing to an impulse buy.
Create a “Wait and See” List
Talking of impulse buys, they’re one of the main ways that people spend money online and regret it later.
When you can click through and checkout within a few seconds, retail therapy becoming even more prevalent in society.
To deal with this, you can create a “waiting” list of things that you want to buy. Instead of buying instantly, try to get into the habit of waiting a few days before you commit to buying something.
Many people find that after a day or two, they don’t actually need the item in question.
An impulsive nature is the source of most shopping addictions, and getting control of that is the key to dealing with the issue.
Forget Your E-Wallet
Convenience makes a person spend more money. Not only does our device stores the username and password of the credit card to access our payment platforms, we also can have an e-wallet specifically designed to help use check out quickly by linking it to your bank account.
Because of this, you may want to stop using an e-wallet completely to limit the amount of online shopping you can actually do. You can stop online shopping by ditching Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal.
Delete the shopping apps to help stop online shopping
In the past, users would search for the product they wanted to buy on their phone, then switch to the desktop to purchase it.
But now, more people than ever are choosing to buy items directly using the apps on their phone.
If you’re like me, you may find yourself scrolling through your favorite shopping apps in the evening.
Deleting these apps from your phone can stop you from buying new things that make you feel good for only a short period of time.
Block Shopping Websites
In the same way you uninstall and block an app, you may have to block your favorite websites if stopping online shopping is difficult for you.
This will forbid you from visiting them without permission – with some apps, you can even set time limits so you can stop yourself from shopping in certain periods of the day (if you’re like me, you’re an evening shopper).
Blocking online shopping websites from your devices with stop you from browsing, and ultimately spending money that you can’t afford.
Set a clothing budget
Many people find that there’s nothing better than buying clothes online, but one thing you can do if you’re thinking about saving money is to set a strict budget.
Set a limit to spending money for clothes over the course of a year and try your very hardest to stick to hit.
Though this may be difficult at first, it can actually be kind of fun trying to stay within a certain budget – sort of like thrift shopping online, where bargains become exciting.
Unsubscribe from emails
Email marketing is a way that companies will lure buyers to their products, with some e-commerce stores even emailing as frequently as every day.
Each day, brands compete for space in your email for you to buy with them. However, you are responsible for what emails arrive in your inbox – this is where the unsubscribe button comes in extremely handy.
Use the unsubscribe button on your emails for a few weeks on every email you get related to shopping. Once done, hopefully this eliminates the desire to shop on their online store or website.
Unfollow and block brands on social media
Social networks can also stimulate your shopping habits. Social websites like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram are often the starting point for an online shopper, with e-commerce brands spending billions each year on advertising.
You could avoid consuming any content by unfollowing a brand’s website, but if you really want to take it seriously, you may need to block them altogether. This can stop you from even arriving at the purchase stage.
Stop the text message marketing
Though other forms of marketing are more prevalent in the current era, text message marketing is as dangerous as ever.
You may not even notice that you’re receiving them as they blend in with the other messages from friends and family, though they can undoubtedly be a potential trigger.
Text marketing is a big part of the e-commerce industry, and it’s not surprising that people click through from their inbox. To save money, make sure you’re not receiving texts from your favorite brands.
Freeze Your Card
Extreme circumstances sometimes require extreme measures. If you’re spending more money than you can afford, it may be necessary to call your bank and ask them to place a freeze on your bank card until you’ve got things under control.
The process to deactivate or reactivate your bank card can be complicated, and often require telephone queues for a number of customers.
It’s important that you do this though if you want to save money and monitor your online purchases, you may need to take drastic measures and freeze your bank card.
Only shop with gift cards preloaded with cash
If you’re really struggling with shopping online, you can potentially combat this by only shopping with preloaded gift card, and giving your credit cards to someone else to look after.
Though you won’t have access to all the money you have, this can be a good temporary measure, even if it’s just for a week or two to get yourself through a rough patch of shopping.
Seek some help
Limiting emotional triggers and dealing with uncomfortable feelings is difficult. Sometimes, people find that they need professional help to
People say that shopping is self care, but the ultimate form of self care is ensuring that you do everything in moderation.
So, don’t be afraid to seek help if shopping is having a dramatic impact on your life, as it may be what you need to kick your habit to the curb for good.