Why am I here?
How do I feel?
Do I need this?
What if I wait?
How will I pay for it?
Where will I put it?
April Benson, Ph.D, a shopping addiction specialist suggests these questions in her book, To Buy or Not To Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop. (Might this be an excellent example of a First World Problem?)
Answering these questions puts space between the impulse to pull the buying trigger and actually pulling the trigger. It can save you a world of regret- financial and emotional. Giving in occasionally to impulse purchases is normal. It’s when we do so despite great personal or financial peril that spells trouble.
Tie a string around your finger to remind you! The trouble with trouble is it starts out as fun.