Hi, I'm Jen! I'm a personal finance expert and money coach aiming to help you take control of your money. I went from being broke to a six-figure net worth and am now on track to be financially independent at age 40. Discover Jen's story
Learn how to stop online shopping! Nowadays, the temptation to spend money is everywhere, especially online. You can hardly browse a website without seeing one advertisement or another.
Social media is even worse, with everyone showing off their newest purchase.
Being exposed to this environment makes it no wonder that you might spend more money online than you want. This article shows how to stop online shopping and say ‘no’ to online retailers.
How to Stop Online Shopping
If you want to learn how to stop online shopping, the most effective way is to block retailers’ websites and uninstall their apps. You can also delete your card details or freeze your card to gain control over your spending behaviour.
1. Wait Before You Buy
If you feel tempted to buy something online, waiting a while before you make the purchase can help to stop impulse buying.
One day you may feel that you really need something. On the next day, you may have already moved on and forgotten about the item.
There are different approaches regarding how long to wait to stop online shopping. Some people wait 24 hours, others a whole month. Generally, how long you wait depends on two factors:
- The type of item. For example, if the item you want is only useful for a limited time, e.g. summer clothes, the opportunity to use it may have passed if you wait too long
- Your nature. If you tend to forget about things quickly and move on, you can use a shorter waiting period
If you struggle to wait before making a purchase, a no-spend challenge may help you. You can also use my Should I Buy It? flowchart.
2. Uninstall Shopping Apps
You cannot buy items on your phone if you do not have any shopping apps. The simple solution to stop online shopping is to uninstall all shopping apps.
This will make it impossible to buy anything.
People seem to be reluctant to uninstall shopping apps. They have one of the lowest uninstallation rates with 35% according to Statista.
Yet you should keep in mind that you can re-install the apps in question if you need them. But you have to be sure to delete it straight after.
Re-installing apps is easy and only takes a few seconds. Thus, a simple uninstall may not be enough to stop online shopping. You may have to take it a step further and block these apps.
Blocking apps is not foolproof as you can unblock apps easily. But it is an additional step to prevent you from wasting money online.
3. Delete Your Card Details from Your Browser and Your Phone
Nowadays, browsers and phones save your card details to make it easier for you to shop online. This can be helpful and convenient as it saves time when buying something.
However, if you are prone to spending money online and want to stop, having your card details saved is not helpful.
It may tempt you to make a purchase quickly in the heat of the moment without thinking.
Having to go to your purchase, open your wallet, and type in your card details manually gives you some extra time to consider the purchase.
It may help you be more mindful, and you may even decide you do not need the item.
Before you continue reading this article, delete your card details from your browser and your phone. Do it now.
4. Forget Your Card Details
Sometimes, just deleting your card details is not enough. Some amazing individuals can memorise their card details.
While a good memory can be helpful in many aspects of life, it may worsen your online shopping.
If you are one of these skilled people who know their card details by heart, you must forget them. But how can you make yourself forget something?
For most people, the easiest way to banish your card details from your mind is to get a new card altogether. Luckily, most banks offer replacement cards for free.
But even if you have to pay a small fee, overall, you will save money due to less online shopping.
5. Block Shopping Websites
Similar to uninstalling and blocking apps, you may also have to block shopping websites if you find yourself visiting them against your will.
Blocking a website will make it impossible for you to access it and spend money on it.
If you do not want to mess around with your settings, you can also try productivity apps that enable you to block websites.
6. Freeze Your Card
If you are with a traditional high-street bank, freezing your card would be tedious as you would likely have to go through telephone queues to de-activate and re-activate it.
However, challenger banks such as Monzo enable you to freeze your card with a button.
Freezing your card with Monzo is easy and may help you stop spending money online. You can unfreeze (or defrost as Monzo calls it) easily. It adds an additional step between you and the online purchase you do not need.
Monzo is free to use as long as you stay on the basic plan. You can get £5 just for signing up and making a card transaction. Read how to get your free £5 in my Monzo review.
7. Unsubscribe From Newsletters
Newsletters are another big shopping temptation. Retailers like to bombard you with offers to get you to spend with them. It may be a discount code, vouchers, or pictures of new items.
But overall, everything in a newsletter is designed to make you spend.
Thus, the only way to protect yourself and stop online shopping is to unsubscribe from newsletters. Regardless of the sender, all newsletters should have a link to unsubscribe, usually at the end of the newsletter.
This is a requirement by law. If there is no unsubscribe link, you can report the company.
Most email providers also have built-in ways to protect yourself from unwanted emails. With Gmail, you can block the sender or report them as spam by clicking on the three dots in the top right corner.
8. Take a Break from Social Media
Social media can be a minefield if you want to stop online shopping. Plenty of advertisements for new trendy things you may want to buy.
Seeing images of your friends wearing the latest fashion or showing off new things does not help either.
If you feel overwhelmed, it may be time for a break from social media. Even if you think everything is under control, it might be good to see a break to see how social media affects you.
Before your break, let your friends and family know so they do not try to reach you via social media. Instead, you can give them your phone number if they do not have it already.
You may also want to ask them to inform you about any important announcements that you would otherwise see on your social media feed.
Your break can be as long or short as you like. However, to see a meaningful effect, you should stay away from social media for a week at a minimum.
This tip may be particularly useful during flash sales such as Black Friday.
9. Pay Only With Gift Cards
If you want to buy something online but are unsure you can control yourself and not give in to temptation, you can use gift cards.
Gift cards are pre-charged with money; once it runs out, that is it. There is no overdraft function. Paying with gift cards limits how much you spend.
Most major retailers offer gift cards, and you can ask friends or family to buy them for you as a gift for Christmas or your birthday.
10. Seek Support
If you feel you cannot stop shopping online by yourself, there is nothing wrong with asking for help.
Shopping addiction can have serious consequences and it is important to stop it as early as possible, even if it means hurting your pride.
As a first instance, you can ask your friends and family to help you. However, many people feel too ashamed to admit their shopping addiction in front of people they know.
Thus, you might find it easier to speak to a professional.
There are different organisations and charities you can contact:
How to Stop Online Shopping Summary
The best ways to stop online shopping include:
- Wait before you buy
- Uninstall shopping apps
- Delete your card details from your browser
- Forget your card details
- Block shopping websites
- Freeze your card
- Unsubscribe from newsletters
- Take a break from social media
- Pay only with gift cards
- Seek help
These are all effective ways that help you to reign in your spending on the internet. If you have trouble controlling how much money you spend online, do not be afraid to ask for help.
This does not have to be a charity or helpline, often friends and family are happy to help you.
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