How To Drop An Online Shopping Habit In 8 Expert-Backed Steps

In 2023, Americans spent a record average of $3.4 billion per day shopping online and a total of $1.2 trillion for the year, according to CapitalOne Shopping Research. In the fourth quarter of 2023, they spent $324 billion, up 7% year over year. COVID increased online shopping, and people have kept clicking ever since because shopping online is convenient, fast, and easy.

But the truth is, online shopping can be addictive.

"The siren song of online shopping can be hard to resist sometimes. A little innocent browser window is wandering, a dose of dopamine from that checkout completion high, and before you know it, you're tumbling down an e-commerce rabbit hole," says Claire Law, a psychotherapist who works with Four Minute Books.

Online shopping addiction is real. "With the tap of a smartphone and endless scrolls of product galleries, it's easier than ever to develop an unhealthy, compulsive relationship with buying stuff," she says.

If your savings account needs a break from online shopping, here's how to take a break from the habit:

1. Understand why you're making a change

"How is online shopping impacting your life? Perhaps it's hindering important relationships (including the relationship you have with yourself!), keeping you in a state of financial insecurity, or holding you back from reaching your financial goals, like saving for retirement. Get really clear on the why and write it down. Review this daily. It will help you change," says Kristie Hill, a wealth management adviser with Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company.

2. Remove temptation

Unsubscribe from retail newsletters. Delete the apps that are tempting you. Unsubscribe from the stores that send you 20% off deals. 

"If you're going to shop, shop intentionally rather than being pulled into algorithms that encourage spending on items that you didn't even know you 'needed,'" says Hill.

You can resist temptation too by implementing a 24-hour waiting period before making a purchase.

"Instant gratification is the enemy. Chances are, the urge will fade, and you'll realize you don't need the cute shoes or fancy gadget," says Jon Morgan, CEO and editor-in-chief of consulting firm VentureSmarter.

3. Create new habits

Do something else instead of shopping, be it reading, meditating, going for a walk, and especially any cost-free hobbies.

4. Know thyself

"Recognizing triggers like guilt, financial strain, and obsessive browsing is crucial for managing compulsive online shopping behaviors effectively," says Richard Morgan, CEO and head of research of Catalyst Fund.

When you know your triggers, you can get into defensive mode. Say if you shop when depressed when the blues hit, and you feel like you want to shop, put your phone or laptop down and do something else that gives you pleasure.

5. Be strategic

Set up a separate checking account with a separate debit card and determine a spending budget each month. Whatever that amount is, set up an automatic transfer to that account each month. 

"Now you have money for shopping but no more than you have allowed yourself, and with a finite amount of money, you will weigh your decisions on what you buy more carefully," says Hill.

6. Do the math

Look at how much you've spent online over the last few months. Then, track future purchases. A written record will be eye-opening and up the odds of you reining in spending.

7. Make a shopping list and stick to it

"This helps you stay focused on what you need rather than impulsively buying," says Nguyen Huy, a financial consultant and founder of an e-commerce business, TrendyAloha.

8. Don't go it alone

Recruit an accountability partner, a friend or family member, someone you can confide in about your shopping issues.

"They can be your cheerleader or help hold you back from impulsive purchases," says Morgan.

Shopping online can be a great time saver, freeing you to do other meaningful stuff. It can also be a money saver when you take advantage of deals you might not get from a brick-and-mortar store.