Buying too much online? 5 ways to cut back

A few taps on your mobile and that handbag, those kids’ clothes or this kitchen gadget is on its way to you.

Very convenient with busy lives and little time to go to the shops. Or when the shops are shut because of lockdown!

But when money is tight or you want to save for something important, or you are just bored with being at home all the time, it can be just too easy to overspend. Especially if Instagram is tempting you…

Your life isn’t going to magically improve if you are wearing those shoes or your dog has a new cute coat. But your credit card balance will be even higher, so next month the minimum payment will be going up.

If you want to cut back a bit – or a lot – to stop wasting money on things you don’t need, here are five ways to spend less online.

1. Uninstall those shopping apps

This one just takes a couple of minutes. Get rid of all the shopping apps from your mobile and tablet, including Amazon and eBay.

You can still shop at any store without these apps, just go in through Chrome or whatever browser you are using. But every time you look at your phone the apps won’t be trying to attract your attention!

Also leave any Facebook selling groups you are a member of. You only want to shop when you need something, not read an endless series of “bargains”.

2. Delete your credit and debit card details from each shop

This includes PayPal if you often select that for your payment method.

Of course, you can just type in your card details when you do want to buy. But the aim is to stop you buying something with just a couple of taps. Make it just that bit harder and you may find yourself saying No, or I’ll think again in a week and see if I still want it more often.

3. Unsubscribe from marketing emails

Go into your inbox and unsubscribe from everyone that sends you emails about offers and sales, including eBay and Groupon.  Then after you have done that, mark each one that arrives as spam. They really do stop coming after a while!

Will you miss out on a good offer by doing this? Well possibly.

But for every one good offer on something you actually need, there are hundreds of not so great bargains on stuff you may fancy but which aren’t essential. It’s easier to resist temptation if you don’t see it!

4. Postpone buying things

If you see something you really want, write it on a list with the date. Then look at the list a week later and decide if you still want it. It’s surprising how often you don’t!

On Amazon, add it to a wish list, not to your shopping basket.

5. Stop buying stuff intending to return some of it

Klarna, LayBuy, Clearpay were all set up to make this look so sensible, try before you buy etc

But it can be lethal for your finances. All too often you will like three out of four purchases when you only wanted to buy one. And if you dither about trying to decide which to return, you may go past the date where you can get a refund. (Don’t ask me how I know…)

If you feel you need the choice, then enlist the help of your partner or your daughter or a friend when the parcel arrives. Say you only want one and let them choose if you can’t!

Just making buying a bit harder

None of these ideas will mean you can’t ever shop online – they just make it a bit more of a hassle, giving your will power a bit of extra muscle.

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FIND OUT MORE:

Credit Cards / The minimum payment trap

Saving / The Plum app – stealth saving made easy

Debts / Are your debts keeping you awake at night?