How to Trick Yourself Into Spending Less Money Online

There’s nothing more convenient than being able to shop online—that is, until you start spending all your money on random internet purchases. All those little purchases that might seem like no big deal at the time can add up, and if you’re trying to save, online shopping can make it much more difficult to do so. Curbing your online shopping habits might not be easy, but there are a few ways you can trick yourself into spending less.

You probably get dozens of emails per day from your favorite stores, advertising new products, sales and deals, but all that buzz is just going to tempt you into buying things you don’t actually need. Stop your spending at the source by unsubscribing from all the retailers you get emails from (and try avoiding signing up for their email lists in the first place). When you’re not being reminded of what you could be buying every single day, you’ll probably be a lot more mindful of your purchases.

One easy way to make spending online more difficult—AKA giving you more time to decide if a purchase is worth it—is to not keep any of your payment information saved on your computer or on store websites. If you do keep your credit card information stored on your accounts, go through and delete them. Alternately, if you don’t want to delete your payment information altogether, switch it from a credit card to a debit card—you’ll be less likely to spend if it’s coming directly out of your bank account instead of adding on to your credit card bill.

If you’re an impulse buyer, challenge yourself to waiting a day before you make a purchase. Either bookmark the items you want, or add them to your cart to save for later, and then sleep on it. If you still really want or think you need to make the purchase after you’ve given it some thought, then go for it—but waiting a little while and clearing your mind might help you rethink unnecessary purchases you might regret later on.

Sometimes you need someone (or something) else to keep you on track, and that’s totally fine. If you find yourself browsing—and spending money on—your favorite online stores when you should be saving and focusing on other things, try using a tool likeSelf Control. Self Control is available for Mac users and blocks different websites using a timer system—and no matter what you do, you won’t be able to access those websites until the timer is up (even deleting the application won’t work).