If you’re wondering where your money’s going, the answer may be as close as your front porch.
Ordering items online and then having them delivered is not just fast and convenient, but can make many purchases seem like a bargain you can’t turn away from.
This is especially true when e-commerce sites promote sales and rock-bottom prices. According to a 2024 Capital One Shopping report, 72% of online shoppers have impulsively bought an item due to an advertised discount.
Excessive ordering of seemingly affordable items can become expensive, which can may make it harder to make ends meet. Here’s how to break the cheap online delivery habit.
Start With a Budget
There’s nothing wrong with buying things you need and want online, as long as you stick to your personal financial parameters. Nonessentials should never cost more than you can cover with cash on hand. Let your well-developed budget be your guide.
[Related:Wants vs. Needs In Your Budget — How to Tell the Difference]
“To avoid overspending, determine how much you can comfortably spend on extras without compromising other priorities,” says Ben McLaughlin, chief marketing officer and president at Raisin, an online savings platform.
“Making a budget and keeping track of how much money you have coming in each month and going out for necessary expenditures is a great place to start,” he adds.
After subtracting your essential expenses and savings contributions from your income, you may find that you have a certain amount of cash left over for fun. Great. Decide what you want to buy online.
As long as it doesn’t negatively impact paying your bills or preparing for the future, it’s an affordable indulgence.
[Read: How to Make a Budget — and Stick to It.]
Create Shopping Hurdles
If the bulk of your internet shopping is on Amazon and you’re having trouble controlling your spending on the site, you may want to take steps to make it less accessible.
Consider making it more difficult for yourself to shop online by instituting some sensible hurdles:
— Remove your credit or debit card account information from the e-commerce site.
— Take the site off your bookmark bar and out of your favorites.
— Delete the e-commerce apps from all of your mobile devices.
— Set a time limit on e-commerce websites with a free app, such as StayFocusd.
[READ: Shopping Tricks to Keep You Under Budget]
Stop Paying for Free Shipping
A consumer survey from Upgraded Points found that Americans spent an average of $91.75 on Amazon purchases every month in 2023.
However, this number is much higher for those with a Prime membership, which allows shoppers to have certain items delivered for free. On average, Prime members spent $110 per month, while nonmembers spent just $38.
Currently, an Amazon Prime membership is $14.99 monthly, or $139 annually. It would be foolish to have that fee go to waste, right?
Not if the “free” shipping is inspiring you to be a little too free with your money. If it is, stop the service. You’ll not only save yourself the monthly fee, but you might also become more prudent with your online spending.
It worked for Dana Humphrey, a hot yoga teacher from Rockaway Park, New York. “I canceled my Amazon Prime account and made it less easy for myself to just buy, buy, buy,” she says.
Give Yourself Time to Think
There are very few circumstances when you need to purchase something within seconds. If shopping impulsively has become a habit, change it.
“Instead of making a purchase on impulse, decide that you’re going to take a certain amount of time to think it over — be it 24 hours, a few days or even a week,” McLaughlin says.
“Giving yourself a bit of breathing room before making a purchase can help you stick to your budget and your long term financial goals,” he adds.
This method has helped Humphrey, who says she had become accustomed to buying all kinds of items that didn’t actually work for her.
“Now, I add things to my Amazon ‘wish list’ or I make a handwritten list next to my computer of things I need or want, and I sleep on it,” she says. “If I still am thinking about it two days later, I think more about where and when to buy it.”
Opt for Fashion Quality Over Quantity
The rise of fast fashion over the past few years is dizzying. With companies like Shein and Temu that specialize in ultra cheap merchandise, you can indulge in the latest trends for a tiny investment. Many pieces of apparel and accessories are priced at below $20.
While the deal seems like a steal, items may be poorly constructed or made from uncomfortable materials will either fall apart after a few wearings or end up in the trash because you won’t want to wear them at all. Consider buying fewer items that are of better quality instead.
Or, buy high-end, previously owned items.
A report from second-hand marketplace Vestiaire Collective’s 2024 said that the average cost per wear is significantly higher on the fast fashion version of a luxury item than if you were to purchase the real thing on the secondary market.
For example, the average fast fashion trench coat has about a $5.82 cost per wear while its real, “preloved” version averages around 89 cents per wear.
Get Your Thrills Elsewhere
Getting and opening boxes, not the things that are in them, may be the real thrill. If so, switch it up with an activity that’s better for your wallet but that also provides a thrill.
“Instead of spending your extra money shopping online, you can get a different kind of rush by investing in your personal financial security,” McLaughlin says.
“You can put funds into a safe product with a guaranteed return, like a CD or high-yield savings account. Checking how much interest you’ve earned each month can provide another kind of rush,” he adds.
If you really are after something tangible, Humphrey suggests participating in the “Buy Nothing” groups on Facebook. You can peruse what is available for free and available in your area, so you can pick it up.
“I still get the dopamine, get to walk home with something new to me and I clean out my closet to make room for items first,” Humphrey says.
“Plus, then I get to try things on, experiment with new looks and styles I would not usually consider and show off and express a new side of myself,” she adds.
Shop Online Mindfully
Online shopping isn’t going anywhere, so it will be up to you to make sure what you buy works for your budget. Too many inexpensive things bought impetuously can add up to a big bill, then negatively impact your financial health.
For this reason it’s important to be aware and disciplined when visiting your favorite e-commerce sites, McLaughlin says.
“Everyone has time in the day when they’re looking at what is available online, but when they actually see what they’re spending on these sites, it can come as a shock,” he says.
Instead of a regular pastime, consider it a treat or special reward.
Before hitting the “buy now” button and waiting eagerly for the delivery, check your bank and credit card balances.
Since you’re already online, log onto your accounts to make sure you can reasonably afford what you’re about to purchase. With those figures in front of you, you may decide that the items really aren’t worth the expense after all.
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Breaking the Online Delivery Habit originally appeared on usnews.com
