Many years ago I downsized where I lived, I got rid (sold/donated/trashed) a lot of stuff and, for the most part, I’ve not missed any of it.
Since then I’ve built up more stuff again but with a slightly different slant and I’m confident that I don’t have the same volume, and the things I do have are better considered and, because I’m a geek, I’ve got my own little ‘system’ to help me maintain this moving forward.
For a while now I’ve used Amazon as a place to hold a list of things I might buy. I add them to my basket and then save them for later (this way means I get notice of price drops/rises).
It has helped me stop buying stuff on a whim. Mostly for smaller cheaper purchases as anything of value I tend to do some research on. Define value, you say?
Well, as an example, we are thinking about buying a telescope to take with us when we are away in Vera (our motorhome). The market is full of lots of different options and wildly varying capabilities and price, so I’ve done some research and narrowed it down to one that isn’t too expensive (£80) and has the capability of star and planet gazing, and maybe a nebula or two if we are lucky.
And as we spend a lot of time outdoors with Jack, I’m going to invest in a decent pair of binoculars and my research suggests £100 is a reasonable budget for something small enough for a backpack but with enough magnification to be fun to use.
A shorter USB-C cable doesn’t really rate research but I’ll still ‘hold that thought’ and delay buying it.
After my monthly payday I then have a decision to make, do I empty that list or not? How urgent are any of the purchases, how much would the total be and what other outgoings do we have coming up.
It’s taken me a long time to get to this point but I’ve stuck to this approach throughout 2025 and, building on that, it’s also allowed me to step away from Amazon for a lot of online purchases. Amazon is just a tool that I use (and the price tracking is useful) but often I can find the exact same item at a non-global (evil) corporation for the same price, and even if it’s a little more I don’t mind paying that to a small business, it’s not like Amazon needs my money.
Of course this is the equivalent of pissing in the ocean, but it keeps me feeling better about myself and, while I still do purchase some things from Amazon, at least this way I’m not blind buying out of habit.
Top tip: NOT having Amazon Prime usually adds another £5 postage which is yet more friction ahead of the purchase.
I’ve tried various ways to manage my online purchasing – I’ve already cracked the desire to buy items in-person for the most part, largely by remembering that that means interacting with ‘people’ – I’ve used wishlist services, notes, even a reminders list, but right now my current ‘system’ (ugh) is working for me.
More recently, I’ve started to incorporate Vinted into that flow. Still mostly for clothes and shoes, it’s been useful for us getting things for Jack, and I’d much rather buy secondhand if I can, plus it’s usually a LOT cheaper and if you are savvy you can get some great deals – for example I have a pair of Hoka trainers (I have wide flat feet and they’ve been a godsend) which I got for £35. They arrived in. very good condition, worn a few times but no damage or usage was apparent. Normally these retail at £100 and up!
And I use their favouriting system to tag things I am interested in, fully aware that for the most part I have no NEED for new clothes until the ones I’ve currently got start to fail. I do allow myself a little more leeway in terms of buying things on Vinted because, frankly, the world is a shitshow so a new pair of brightly coloured trainers helps lighten MY mood every time I put them on. Hey, these are the ways we cope.
I’m happy that this is all helping me think smarter about my money; not just spending for the sake of it, of being rational and thoughtful about how and where I spend my money and while I’m not claiming to be the best at this – Amazon still sees too much of my money as sometimes convenience will win – I’m definitely better at it than I have been in the past.
So, yes I have a system, no it’s not flawless, and to be specific the system works just fine but I AM the flaw (Judge Dredd fans out there, I’m sorry!).
How do you manage your impulse buy urges?
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