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So, you’re scrolling through your social media feed and all the sudden you see an ad for a sale at a store you enjoy shopping at. While you weren’t planning on buying anything and don’t have a need for anything, you can’t help but click to see more about the sale. (After all, it’s one of your favorite stores!) As you explore more, you’re telling yourself that it’s just too good of a sale to pass up, and you find a few things to add to your cart and purchase. You do this within the span of just a few minutes, maybe even seconds!
Let’s recap what just happened: You went from not even knowing a sale was going on with no plans of purchasing to browsing, clicking, and buying in a few short minutes! Does this sound familiar? If so, you’ve probably experienced an impulse buy (or two) before. Most of us have!
While these impulse buys may not seem like much in the moment and often feel fleeting, there is typically a lot going on behind the scenes and in our brains that we don’t realize. In this article, we’ll dive into the urge to splurge, the science behind it, consumption habits, and ideas to be intentional when it comes to impulse buys.
WHAT IS AN URGE TO SPLURGE?
While many would probably say they’ve experienced an impulse buy or an urge to spend before, you may not exactly know how to define it. An impulse buy is simply the act of buying something you had not planned to buy— typically suddenly and without forethought.
Impulse buying is often triggered by things we see - whether we’re in a physical store or scrolling through online retailers. Seeing that pair of shoes that we just can’t pass up or feeling pressured to buy immediately after seeing a limited time sale triggers responses in our brains and bodies that we don’t realize in the moment. However, this is by design. It subconsciously encourages us to purchase – even when we didn’t intend to.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE URGE
While it may not seem as deep when you’re experiencing an urge to splurge, there are actually a lot of things going on behind the scenes that alter your decision making and influence you to act.
Impulse buying is driven by the urge or a craving for something that will bring pleasure or happiness. While some may have heightened experiences with impulse buying compared to others, the same neural pathways and hormones are at play. When we honor an impulse and buy, our brain releases dopamine— the hormone that triggers our brain’s reward center and is associated with pleasure. This is the same neurotransmitter that is triggered when we exercise, eat tasty food, or experience anything that we enjoy!
The more that we experience this dopamine hit, the more we seek it! While we may not necessarily have an overwhelming desire to impulse shop, the desire within our brains and bodies to experience dopamine and happiness can show up in our shopping habits – especially when subconsciously-driven by strategic marketing tactics.
THE IMPACT + HEALTHY HABITS
All these outward and inward aspects of impulse shopping can have a huge impact on your consumption habits and wallet! Impulse shopping can lead to increased spending, spending outside your budget, unhealthy credit usage, and more. Continuously giving into the desire to buy can make it harder and harder to say no in the future.
Maybe you recognize your own urge to splurge and have seen some of those negative effects show up in your own life. Consider these four options:
Write Down Your Urges
If you find yourself spending more on things you may not necessarily need, consider utilizing a “want list” by writing down those urges to buy as you experience them! Urges typically last no longer than 30 minutes— getting through an urge to spend can feel intense at the beginning but as you continue to deny the urges, they will become less and less urgent and overwhelming. By adding all your spending urges to this list, you’ll enable yourself to get past the initial desire to click buy and give yourself a resource to look back on to determine whether you should purchase the item. Many people find that these items aren’t something they need or truly even want when they go back to their list!
Creat an Urge Jar
Start an “Urge Jar”. For this, you’ll need two jars big enough to hold 100 small items (like marbles or beads). You’ll start off with all 100 items in one jar and each time you experience an urge and overcome the need to spend, you’ll take one item and put it in the other jar. This small action will provide a visual representation of progress and give you a physical action to take when experiencing an urge to buy that isn’t clicking purchase! The “Urge Jar” can be customized to fit your needs— whether you reward yourself with one purchase after transferring all items, start out with a smaller amount, or set rules about starting over if you give into an urge.
Keep a Budget Spending Journal
If you find yourself constantly overspending on specific budget line items or overspending on things that aren’t even a part of your budget, consider keeping a spending journal and tracking each purchase before you buy the item. By writing down the item and assessing how it fits into your budget before you purchase, you can make changes if you find the item doesn’t align with the budget you’ve created for yourself. This will also save you from regretting a purchase you’ve already made.
Lock Your Credit Card
If you find yourself using credit to fund your impulse purchases, consider locking your credit card. This creates a barrier against the ease of credit usage for impulse purchases. By keeping your credit card locked, it requires you to take an extra step to unlock it before you can make the purchase. Often, creating small obstacles is all that is needed to deter a purchase or give yourself extra time to consider what you are trying to buy.
Ultimately, curbing impulse shopping isn’t something that will happen overnight! It’s a process that requires consistency and a commitment to change our mindset and behavior. In order to do this effectively, we must be clear on our financial goals and put intentional practices in place to curb impulse shopping and deny instant gratification.
