Shops are designed to make buying easy. A few habits put a little friction back in.
The habits
Wait before you buy Easy
Use a 24-hour wait for small things and the 30-day rule for bigger ones.
Work out the cost per use Easy
A $120 pair of boots worn 200 times costs 60 cents a wear; a $40 pair worn 10 times costs $4. Our cost per use calculator does it for you.
Price things in hours of work Easy
If you take home $20 an hour, a $200 gadget is ten hours of work. Try the hours of work calculator.
Buy used first Some effort
Furniture, tools, books, kids’ clothes, sports gear and many electronics are good used. Car seats, mattresses and helmets are better new.
Borrow or rent the rarely used Easy
Libraries, tool libraries and neighbors: a drill used twice a year does not need to live in your cupboard.
Remove saved cards Easy
Typing in your card details is a small barrier that stops a lot of impulse buys.
Keep a want list Easy
Write it down instead of buying it. Review the list monthly; most of it fades.
Example figures are simple arithmetic to show how amounts add up. Your numbers will differ.
Tips from travellers
Tried Shopping and stuff? Share what helped. The first good one goes right here.