Master Your Spending: Curb Your Impulse to Buy New Things

These simple strategies will help you master your spending and curb your impulse to buy new things. Take back control of your finances.

There are very few earthly possessions that I truly value.  I try not to put a lot of emotional ties to possessions that are fleeting. However, I won’t pretend to be holier than I am…I love my yoga mat.  I started practicing yoga about seven years ago.

When I became serious about my practice I invested in a really nice yoga mat. I spent about $100 dollars to purchase my mat.  To some that’s probably not a lot but to a frugal person like myself, one hundred dollar purchases are a big deal.  I had no guilt surrounding this purchase because, for one, I was serious about my practice and knew I would get my use out of it.  Two, this mat could last me a lifetime if I took care of it.

Well, until today.

My Personal Impulse to Buy New

In case you are ever wondering and for future reference…in the battle of vacuum cleaner vs. yoga mat…the vacuum cleaner wins.  Unfortunately, today as I casually vacuumed the floor I ran it over my beautiful yoga mat.  I could instantly hear the brush spinning and burning my lovely 2×6 rectangle of relaxation.  I quickly pulled the vacuum away and there on my mat were two very obvious vacuum marks.

This post isn’t meant to be about my yoga mat or my apparently super strong vacuum, it’s about my inward thoughts and emotions that occurred during this incident. Of course I initially felt sadness because one of my prized possessions was now obviously marred but it was the second thought that really struck me. 

After viewing the marks on my mat I immediately thought, “great, now I have to buy a new mat.”  My mind seriously began thinking about how I was going to fit it into the budget and when I should make the purchase.  Thankfully I paused and brought myself back to reality.

The problem with me having these types of thoughts is that there was absolutely nothing wrong with my mat when it came to its functionality.  Aesthetically it might not look as appealing as it did earlier but it is still a perfectly fine yoga mat that will serve me for years to come.

I share this personal story to confirm that we all struggle with the desire to have and buy new. Some struggle more than others but the desire is in us all. Don’t get me wrong, having new or nice things isn’t wrong or bad but when the feeling or desire consumes us, or we aren’t happy unless we have the newest, shiniest thing then we probably need to reassess.

The Problem With New Things

According to CCN Business, the credit card debts of American’s are rising at alarming rates. By the end of 2023 credit card debt in America was over one trillion dollars. They reported the results as the greatest year to year increase in credit card debt in history. 

Obviously, by looking at these numbers, there is a problem. I personally don’t believe in having credit cards or taking on debt. If you want to read about my philosophy around money and how me and my family create a simple written budget, you can read more HERE.

I understand that some of the before mentioned credit card debt may be because of emergencies or medical debt but the vast majority is undeniably just a bunch of excess stuff. Purchases of a lot of new and shiny things that many people, if they are really honest with themselves, don’t really need.

Why do we, as first world Americans, feel like we must purchase new?  This tendency is prevalent in so many areas of our lives, our automobiles, our clothing, our electronics, our home décor.  And sadly, we get rid of things not even because there is a defect or it is no longer functioning properly but because it is no longer in “style.”

We have been marketed this message to buy new things repeatedly and now the marketers no longer have to work as hard, it has become our new normal. Ultimately we as a people have a contentment problem and unfortunately it seems as if it has grown into an epidemic.

How to Curb Your Impulse to Buy New Things

If you want to curb your impulse to buy new things here are three strategies that I have implemented in my own life to help shift my mindset.

1. Pause

Just like with my yoga mat example, anytime the thought comes into your head that you need a new -you fill in blank – allow yourself to pause. A pause is healthy in practically all situations in life. It allows you to stop and rethink the situation and to not make decisions solely based on emotions. 

During the pause you may realize that you actually don’t need that new thing after all. Give yourself time before you walk into that store, or push the buy now button on that screen.

2. Take a Break from Social Media

I know this is a hard one for a lot of people out there but social media is the cause for so much of our discontentment in our lives. We are constantly bombarded by two different things- ads from businesses and an excess amount of pictures from our “friends” filled with more new things than you can wrap your mind around. 

There are new houses, new furniture, new clothes, new dogs, new baby gear, new electronic gadgets, new vacations…the list is endless. I am a firm believer that social media is bad for our mental health, no matter the small amounts of “good” it may do for some. 

It is a breeding ground for discontentment and one of the best things you can do is to give it up completely or at a minimum take a break from it. Your excessive buying habits are sure to decrease and more importantly your level of contentment in life is sure to increase. You will be amazed at how your impulse to buy new things decreases when you aren’t aware of what new things are actually out there to buy.

3. If you Must Buy-Buy Used

I want to be clear, not every desire to make a purchase is impulsive or bad. There are legitimate purchases that need to be made in our lives. The challenge is to redirect the way our minds think when it is time to make a purchase.

Instead of automatically going to Amazon and buying the “overall pick” that everyone else is buying. First consider buying that item secondhand. There are multiple options when searching for used items such as online marketplaces, consignment shops, and thrift stores. Challenging yourself to purchase something used actually incorporates the other steps we have mentioned as well.

When purchasing used you almost always have to pause. You have to take some time to search for an item and this can usually take days or weeks. This gives you time to let your emotions calm down. You might discover during your time of searching that you don’t really need the item.

Buying secondhand also helps us cultivate contentment in our lives. We retrain our brains and curb our impulse to buy new things. Used possessions often have more life left in them. By cultivating contentment you may find yourself repurposing some of your already owned items, which is even better.

Cultivate Contentment

The ultimate goal in curbing our impulse to buy new things is that we would cultivate contentment in our lives. Contentment solves a multitude of problems. Learning to be content with the items we already have is something we can all practice. You can read more about cultivating contentment in your life HERE.

So when the thought pops in your mind, “well I guess I will have to buy a new one.” Stop yourself and ask, “is that really necessary?” Get off of social media. Consider buying used. You will be surprised, when you curb your impulse, how infrequently you truly need to buy new things.

Take a pause in your spending, contemplate your motives and cultivate contentment. Meanwhile, I’ll be over here practicing my vinyasa flows on a perfectly good yoga mat, that now has a story and a little more character. Comment below with your best practices to master your spending.