10+ Tips on How to Stop Online Shopping

Online shopping is all the rage because it’s super easy, convenient and fun. It appeals to your lazy side. Most physical stores close, and actually going to them takes at least some effort on your part. With online shopping, the checkout lane is open 24/7, and you can buy practically anything while lying in bed. It’s incredible – but it can be dangerous.

Do You Have an Online Shopping Problem?

Online shopping has become the norm because it’s so convenient. But, if you’re not careful, getting hooked on buying things with a single click is very easy. So, how do you know if your online shopping habits are normal or out of control?

You may have a problem with online shopping if you:

• Buy something online just because it’s a good deal
• Fear missing a sale at your favorite online retailer
• Shop online secretly and hide your purchases
• Blow your personal budget or take on debt due to shopping online
• Fight with loved ones about your online shopping habits
• Feel guilty after shopping online
• Feel compelled to shop online and find it difficult to stop yourself from doing so

How to Beat Your Online Shopping Problem

If you’re compulsively shopping online, you may feel powerless over your spending and your life. Shopping addiction is very real and very serious. But there’s good news. You can regain control by following these simple ways to cut spending:

1. Get Real About The Issue
2. Delete Your Credit Card Information
3. Unsubscribe From Retailer Email Lists
4. Give Yourself A Time Limit To Shop
5. Browse, Don’t Buy
6. Sleep on Every Purchase
7. Tidy Up Your Space
8. Find A New Hobby
9. Have A Long-Term Financial Goal
10. Involve Your Loved Ones

Get Real About the Issue

You can’t effectively deal with a problem until you understand the full scope of it. That means you need to fully face your behaviors and assess how they’ve impacted you. While it may be scary, you must be honest with yourself, so you can move forward.

Look at your bank account and credit card statements. How much money have you spent online shopping? Then, tally up how much time you’ve devoted to browsing retailer websites. What could you have done with those hours instead?

The key here is to be firm but gentle with yourself. You don’t deserve any self-bashing. It’s not helpful, anyway. Consciously changing your behaviors will help, though.

Pro tip: To know the exact amount of time you spend online shopping, try using an app like RescueTime. The app offers a 14-day free trial, which should give you enough data.

Delete Your Credit Card Information

If you’ve saved your credit card information on retailer websites, delete it – stat! That saved payment information makes it all too easy to buy items with one click. The transaction is over in an instant, which means you don’t have any time to think about what you’re doing. The shopping process almost feels surreal. But, the financial consequences of blowing your budget or taking on debt are very real.

You’ve grown so accustomed to an instant checkout, that the idea of entering your credit card information feels like a chore. That’s a good thing! By making it just a tiny bit harder to buy what you want, you may think twice about each purchase.

Pro tip: If deleting your credit card information doesn’t curb your online shopping, consider cutting up or freezing your credit cards. That way, you can’t use them at all.

Unsubscribe From Retailer Email Lists

Your inbox is probably full of shopping temptation. Your favorite retailers know what you like to buy, and will send you special deals to entice you to make your next purchase. But – you’ve got tremendous power here. See that little unsubscribe button at the bottom of their messages? Click it, and know your wallet is safe when you check your email.

Give Yourself A Time Limit to Shop

Leisurely browsing is hazardous to your financial health. You can end up buying way more than you planned and rack up major credit card debt. The solution? Give yourself a time limit to complete your online shopping. Then, there’s less risk of you making any extra purchases.

If you struggle to impose these restrictions on yourself, don’t worry – there’s a free app for that! LeechBlock NG (for Firefox) and StayFocusd (for Chrome) let you block any website you want (think retailers) for whatever time period you set. That way, you literally can’t shop online unless you’ve scheduled it in advance!

Pro tip: Create and stick to a shopping list every time you need to buy something. That way, you get what you came for – no more, no less.

Browse, But Don’t Buy

That shopper’s high you get is from the thrill of the hunt. It’s exciting and fun to find that perfect doodad at a great price. But, what if you put it into your shopping cart and then closed your browser? Chances are, you still had a good time shopping online, even though you didn’t buy anything. So, give virtual window shopping a try!

Sleep on Every Purchase

Online shopping gets you in trouble by appealing to your impulsive side. But, you can take that power away by sleeping on every truly nonessential purchase. By resisting the urge to buy in the moment, you’re giving yourself some time to evaluate your purchase. You may ultimately realize that you don’t even want the item!

Pro tip: Do your research before buying anything. You’ll delay (and perhaps ultimately skip!) the purchase and become a more savvy shopper.

Tidy Up Your Space

When your living space is cluttered, it might cause you to feel really overwhelmed. And, despite it being counterintuitive, you may use online shopping as a way to take back control. If this sounds like you, the best thing to do is tidy up your space.

By reviewing everything you own, you may realize you don’t need to buy anything else. Then, you can get organized by throwing away junk and donating or selling unused items. You could make money doing this exercise while you’re saving money by not shopping online! That’s a win-win!

Find a New Hobby

Shopping online is an easy pastime. You can do it during commercial breaks, when you’re waiting for an appointment, or whenever you’re bored – no matter where you are. But, filling in your schedule with online shopping gets expensive fast!

To avoid blowing your budget or racking up debt, find a new hobby. Use your phone to take photos, listen to an audiobook, or record your innermost thoughts. Your new way to kill time is still convenient and fun, but a whole lot less costly.

Have a Long-Term Financial Goal

The appeal of online shopping is undeniable and tough to ignore. But, a long-term financial goal can motivate you to make good money-related decisions day-to-day. So, every time you add something to your online cart, ask yourself: is this more important than saving up for a house, going on vacation, putting my kids through college, etc.? Then, shop (or don’t shop!) accordingly.

Of course, having a financial goal doesn’t mean you never get to splurge again. It just means that online shopping becomes a treat, instead of the norm that it has been. By creating a budget that works for you, you’ll be able to balance your long-term goals with your present-day wants. Need a little help with that budget? Check out the best budgeting apps of 2020.

Related reading: Learn the best tips for saving money on a tight budget.

Involve Your Loved Ones

Come clean to your family and friends. Let them know about your problem. Then, they can give you the support that you need moving forward.

That support might be someone else taking over the household’s shopping duties. Or, it might take the form of suggesting non-shopping-related activities. Either way, you’ll feel better not having to shoulder this burden alone.

Final Thoughts

Battling any kind of addiction is a serious matter – online shopping included. If you’re still feeling out of control after implementing the steps we’ve discussed, it may be a good idea to speak with a mental health professional for further guidance. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHA) can help you find the assistance you need to overcome your online shopping problem.

If you’re looking for a simple way to create a budget and track your spending, download the Rocket MoneySM app today.