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One day at work a couple of years back, an notification hit on my phone: my paycheck had been deposited. It was a decent sum for a student, so I did my usual when payday arrived: I launched every single retail application on my device. Amazon, Vinted, Etsy, Depop, Zara, you name it. Within the space of an hour, I had spent £90 on apparel, decorative items and a completely unused weighted blanket that I never used.

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

Whenever I felt stressed, exhausted or uninterested, I would doomscroll until it inevitably ended in an impulsive shopping binge. My justification was always: “Oh well, it’s just £5.” But £5 turned into £10, then £20, and continued.

I was never entirely sure about the reason. Maybe it was because my upbringing in a low-income family, where we’d experience months without purchasing new outfits or anything to brighten up the house. So any moment I had some disposable income, there was always a hidden desire for novel and exciting things. Or maybe, and definitely more likely, I was just bad with money and gave in easily to capitalism’s consumerism.

A Revolutionary Approach

In the end, I opted to experiment with a novel idea. Prior to acquiring any item, I’d place it in my basket, wait 24 hours, then make a choice whether to finalize the purchase. The best part of this method was that it gave me time to reflect – an action I’d never done before. For the first time since adulthood, I started questioning: “Do I actually need this? Can I afford it?” Most of the time, the answer was negative.

If I opened my shopping apps and discovered items sitting in my basket, I’d remove them and start fresh. Using this system, I stopped acquiring goods that I knew deep down 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 engage with board games.

I also wanted to buying a disposable film camera for my first trip to Croatia. After pausing I recalled I had a phone, like everybody else, that features a perfectly good lens, and therefore had no requirement to acquire a dedicated device.

The Enduring Benefits

It also signifies I am more selective about the things I do buy, and I can finally look at my financial records without experiencing shame or embarrassment.

Naturally, there have been occasions I’ve slipped back into previous habits – it's human nature. The key change is that I can recognise the signs early, especially when I’m rushing into a purchase. I’ve come to understand ennui is a powerful trigger. It’s perhaps the primary motivator of my reckless expenditure.

Consumer culture preys on this boredom and our need for immediate satisfaction. That’s the reason, in hindsight, forcing myself to pause before buying has felt unexpectedly freeing. To be able to have command over my urges and reaffirming that I don't have to expend my hard-earned money on non-essential products feels as radical as it is simple.