How an Easy Smartphone Hack Can Help You Save Over $3,000 This Year

By
As fun and relaxing as we imagine retail therapy to be, the reality isn't so glamorous.  A 2022 survey found that the average American spends over $300 on impulse purchases every month.  It adds up to a whopping $3,768 per year in unplanned spending.  What could you do with that money instead?


Here's an effective way to use your smartphone to curb that impulse.


shopping



Go ahead and go shopping.


Don't try to resist, just go. 


Walk around the store and put all the things that catch your eye into your cart or basket.  Enjoy the dopamine hits as you pick and choose.  Take pictures of yourself with each item, and text the pictures (with or without cute captions) to friends you think would also enjoy the stuff you've chosen.


Watch those positive, supportive responses come in.  Smileys, hearts, LOLs, whatever.  It's the validation you crave, quick and superficial.  (More dopamine!)  And you don't need to buy all the stuff in order to give your friends a little lift too.  The pictures will be enough to show you were thinking about them – you don't need to add to their clutter.  (Why would you want to add to their burden, anyway?)


Now don't leave a headache for store employees.  Walk around the store again and put the things back, keeping a running tally on your calculator app of the price of each.  Add it up to see how much money all those things would cost.  Congratulate yourself on how much you're saving by not buying (and how many steps you're getting in at the same time).





Your chance to learn


Leave the store with a whole bunch of new pictures to scroll through, and all of your money and credit cards still in your wallet.  You can even post on social media.  But ask yourself:

  • How many of those things did I put in my cart because they were on sale or seasonally inspired?  (All those cute spring clothes, pretty necklaces, and pink cookware for Mother's Day!)
  • How many items came from end caps and other prominent displays?
  • How many items were things I had no idea I wanted or "needed" until I saw them in the store?
  • How many of those items were short-term highs destined to become clutter very soon?
  • How many of those items were junk food?
  • Will I ever even look at these pictures again after today?


So not only did you get to record your shopping choices, receive accolades from your friends, and rejoice at saving so much money, you also have the opportunity to learn more about what tempts you and how you could make better shopping choices next time.





Try it with your toddler.


shopping
This shopping hack works well with your toddler too.  Next time you're bored and want to go shopping, take your preschooler and let him pick what he likes and have his picture taken.  No need to actually put the items in your cart – just take the photos, which you can scroll through together later.


He might get the same enjoyment from looking at the pictures as he did from seeing the items in the store and taking them off the shelf.  Then he can move on and go back to playing with the trains, Legos, trucks, and whatever else he already owns.  Any pictured items he's still enthusiastic about can go on a birthday or holiday wish list to be considered again later.


But the question is – how much soon-to-be-clutter did you keep out of his playroom?  Is he really less happy sticking with what he's already got?







How to resist the impulse


I'm sure you didn't miss the point that our impulse shopping is toddler-like.  So is our desire to appear cute, trendy, and up-to-date.  Or maybe we're more like our middle school selves, who just "had" to have what our friends (or Marcia Brady or Kelly Taylor) had.  Peer pressure doesn't end when we graduate high school.


We cover up our impulses with "adult" reasoning:  "Doesn't this look good on me?"  "Wow, what a great price!"  "This thing really matches that other thing."  "I've heard about this – it's got high ratings."  We hope comments like this make us appear thoughtful, rational, and savvy.


But are we in control of our impulses?  Or are we "under the influence" of ads, social media, our girlfriends, or something else?  Friends don't let friends drive – or shop – while impaired!


So go ahead and take pictures of that springy flowered jacket that won't go with anything else in your closet, those cute shoes that you'll wear once or twice and then donate because they kill your feet, the white towels embroidered with dogs and cats that will need replacing in six months, the buy-one-get-one eye shadow palette when you already have so much makeup, the beautifully illustrated Bible you won't actually read any more often than the one that's already on your shelf....


(Oh yes, I know how temptation works.)


Look at all the soon-to-be-clutter you can keep out of your home by just snapping a photo and adding up some numbers.  You could save well over $3,000 this year!  It's one really good reason to use your smartphone.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9 Best Shopping Hacks for Your Successful Minimalist Wardrobe

By
Image
If you haven't already checked it out...  I was named an expert in an ApartmentGuide article. Check out the featured article : How to Declutter Your Home Fast: Tips From Our Experts | ApartmentGuide I used to spend most weekends and even some evenings after work shopping for clothes.  I often told myself I was "just looking," but the truth is, the more we "look," the more we buy.  I couldn't keep money in a savings account, and I always had credit card debt, but it took me many years to notice the connection between my shopping habits and my lack of funds.  (I know – dumb.) So I had a closet full of clothes, but "nothing" to wear – or so I told myself as I made yet another trip to the mall.  I'd buy clothes that I'd wear once or twice, at which point I'd realize I didn't like them as much as I thought, they didn't look as good on me as I had believed, or they had stretched, shrunk, faded, balled up, or otherwise been ruined in
Read more

How Minimalism Has Made Me Rich

By
Image
We only get to spend our money once.  So every time we buy something, we're making two statements: I don't have enough (which might be true when it comes to food, gas, toilet paper, or some other things). This thing is more valuable than anything else I could have done with my money (again, sometimes this is true). Every time we make a purchase, we have less money for something else.  Yes, we can make more money, but that takes our time and energy – and those things are finite. So our choices of how to spend are more momentous than we think. That's why my Starbucks habit is a problem, or maybe why your clothes-buying or music- and app-downloading habits might be problems.  Maybe we can technically "afford" those things (that is, we aren't using credit to buy them), but is that the best way for us to use our money? A true windfall I recently received a small bequest from my Uncle Clarence, who passed away early last year.  His wife Alice, who predeceased him, w
Read more

The Lies We Tell Ourselves About Ownership

By
Image
There's a belief about ownership which goes something like this:  "If you own _______, you'll be _______."  It elevates ownership as the answer to all of our hopes and dreams. Some examples: If you own a pair of skinny jeans, you'll look skinnier. If you own the right skin care products, you'll look younger. If you own a designer handbag, you'll be stylish/happy/enviable. If you own the right equipment, you'll be more proficient. If you own the latest technology, you'll be smarter/cooler/safer. The truth The only truth about ownership is that if you own something, it's yours to pay for and take care of.  It doesn't solve your problems or change you into something you're not. Ownership begins with payment.  You sign a contract or a loan document, swipe a credit card, or hand over your hard-earned cash.  After a very short "I got it!  It's mine!" high, you get used to having whatever-it-is and it's no longer quite so ex
Read more

The Challenge to Stop Saying "I Can't" About Minimalism

By
Image
When I talk about simplifying to non-minimalists, their first reaction is usually positive.  Everyone would like a bit more peace and focus in their schedules.  Everyone would like simpler home care, with less frustration when it comes to the tasks we need to do every day, such as getting dressed, preparing meals, and corralling toys. As the conversation continues, however, they often become less enthusiastic.  Of course, minimalism is a challenge in our consumerist culture.  Yes, it requires a period of adaptation.  But plenty of people come to the conclusion they could never make such a lifestyle change. I thought less was impossible. When I mention giving up unnecessary shopping, people may agree.  But once we get to specifics of wearing fewer clothes and shoes, buying fewer restaurant meals, traveling less often and closer to home, perhaps considering a smaller house or fewer vehicles, those same people get uncomfortable.  The thought of buying fewer fancy coffee drinks, fewer sal
Read more

6 Ways Minimalism Will Make You Happy

By
Image
Maybe you've been decluttering and organizing for a while now.  You're making progress, but you're not really feeling that serenity and happiness all the minimalists talk and write about. Yes, things are more manageable in your home.  You're not spending so much time searching for things or deciding what to wear.  And yes, your home is... shall we say prettier ?  You're looking at fewer piles of neglected things, fewer things that you kept out of guilt or inertia, and more things that you actually enjoy seeing.  The things that bring a smile to your face.... Oops.  Sorry, that just snuck in.  I'm writing about how you're not feeling the joy, and how you're wondering why you should continue with all of this minimizing.  Let's try again. 6 reasons to get excited about having less 1.  You're saving money. Seriously, start keeping track of the money you save because you're not buying stuff you don't need.  Remember the cute merchandise you
Read more