Frugaling

Save more, live well, give generously

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Popular
    • Archives
  • Recommended
  • Contact
  • Save Money
    • Lifestyle Downgrade
    • Save Money with Mindfulness
    • Save at Starbucks
    • Psychological Trick To Reduce Your Online Shopping
    • Best Freebies
  • Minimalism
    • 8 TED Talks To Become A Minimalist
    • We Rent This Life
    • Everything Must Go
    • Lifestyle Downgrade
    • The Purchase Paradox: Wanting, Until You Own It
    • Nothing In My Pockets
  • Social Justice
    • Destroy The 40-Hour Workweek
    • Too Poor To Protest: Income Inequality
    • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
    • Hunter Gatherers vs. 21st Century Desk-sitters
  • Make Money
    • Make $10k in 10 Months
    • Monetize Your Blog
    • Side Hustle for Serious Cash
  • Loans
    • 5 Rules To Follow Before Accepting Student Loans
    • Would You Marry Me?
    • Should I Have a Credit Card If I’m In Debt?
    • $50k in Scholarships in 70 Minutes

This Psychological Trick Will Reduce Your Online Shopping

By Frugaling 12 Comments

Share This:

Cash Register Picture Online Shopping

The rise of online shopping

Amazon.com went live in 1995. The site quickly became the largest online retailer in the world. Bookstores have been decimated by shopping online and ebooks. The war has largely been fought, and the brick and mortar stores are disappearing. Aside from making it difficult to find a book at your local retailer, shopping online can be a tremendous convenience.

The gateway to online shopping starts with your 16-digit credit card (debit, gift card, etc.). After every order, you’ll be required to enter your shipping and billing addresses, contact information, and your payment method. Credit cards are wonderful tools for these online shops, and they’re safer due to complete fraud protection.

There’s just one problem: convenience can wreak havoc on a healthy budget.

Credit card numbers are easy to memorize

They do it. This is aided by websites that save your billing information for later purchases. For instance, Amazon.com — by default — tries to save your credit card details. Then, when you go shopping again, you’ll just be able to select the card. In seconds, you can have your new products. It’s so easy on Amazon.com that they even have a one-click buy button.

You do it. I’ve been shopping online for years, and noticed only quite recently that I memorized a couple of my 16-digit credit card numbers. How? Excessive purchases over the years, but also a training process. Unless you’ve lost your card, had it stolen, and/or suspect fraud, your number generally doesn’t change. If you’ve had a credit card for years, you have more exposure to the same digits. Memorization is made easy and purposeful.

Delay the purchase, reduce the urge

Research shows (and trust me, Amazon is listening to it) that aiding consumers in making impulse buys equals more money. If I can reduce the time and effort to make you spend, you’ll come back and spend more over time and in single sittings. Pretty awesome if you’re a Fortune 500 company with a near-$400 stock price! If you’re an average Joe or frugal Jane, this can mean trouble. Here’s a two-step solution to this problem:

“Lose” your credit card. The first step is to call the credit card company and tell them you can’t find your credit card — you’re worried you lost it. Once you do this, they will issue you a credit card with new numbers. This will restart the number learning process and delay new purchases online, as you’ll be able to think more critically. After all, critical thinking takes time — you owe it to yourself. Note: you won’t be able to use the card anymore — you’ll need a backup card for a week.

Delete your details. If you’re an Amazon.com shopper, delete your billing details off the website. You’ll have to add them again at a future purchase, but having the inconvenience may actually mean less money spent. Give yourself time to think, “Do I really need this?”

Memorizing a credit card number — as the retailer or consumer — is trouble for a delicate budget. This simple psychological trick of slowing your purchase down can significantly reduce your spending and keep you on track for a frugal future.

Share the wealth:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Amazon, Budget, Consumerism, Credit Card, Memorization, money, Numbers, Online Shopping, Psychology, Purchases, research

Comments

  1. DEBt DEBs says

    April 2, 2014 at 6:14 am

    I’ve never got into the on-line buying habit, although I have done it. I think it could be a generation thing because I see my kids doing it all the time. Come to think of it, I don’t even like going to shopping malls anymore… so on the needless spending front, I’m all good. For me the focus is on food, gas, utilities and booze (ok that could be needless… you got me there) … not that I can do much about those (I know, except for the booze)

    Thanks for cheering me up knowing that I am saving by not shopping on line. šŸ™‚

    Reply
  2. Grayson @ Debt Roundup says

    April 2, 2014 at 9:46 am

    Interesting Sam. The one thing that I can’t do is memorize my credit card numbers. I didn’t even do it when I used them to rack up my massive debt. I remember many other numbers, but credit cards are not one of them.

    Reply
  3. Jen @Sprout Wealth says

    April 3, 2014 at 3:43 am

    Nice tips. Online shopping can really be a trap to people who are trying hard to live frugally. I just wonder though if credit card companies don’t charge you for card replacements.

    Reply
  4. Dave @ The New York Budget says

    April 3, 2014 at 7:20 am

    I’ll be honest. I HATE pulling out my credit card for the number (which is naturally why this tactic is so effective) – but for me, I don’t fall into impulse purchase traps, so I can opt for the convenience. It’s almost like having a credit card with reward points. You can only have it if you are responsible with it. I feel as though I can save my CC info on Amazon because I only make well thought out purchases. In 2014 so far, I have spent a total of $6.99 on Amazon!

    Reply
  5. Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life says

    April 3, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    The only time I don’t buy something I “need” online is when it’s a gift for someone else. Though I’m considering buying a book with the new credit I got from that recent publishing settlement.

    Reply
    • Sam Lustgarten says

      April 3, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      Oh yeah! That was a total surprise. I got about $7 for that one. šŸ™‚

      Reply
    • Sam Lustgarten says

      April 5, 2014 at 10:45 am

      You better use that credit for a book! Haha. Otherwise, you should send it my way. They expire eventually, as well. Watch out for that!

      Reply
  6. Anneli @thefrugalweds says

    April 5, 2014 at 10:58 am

    Online shopping sucks! They make it so gosh darn easy to spend, especially in Amazon where you can literally find everything you need and then some. My trick to not spend money online is I never will buy everything in my cart that same day. I sit on it. I go back to it and edit over a week or so. Impulse buying is dangerous but I realized that if I actually just wait to make the purchase later, more often than not, I end up just not buying it.

    Reply
  7. Daisy says

    April 6, 2014 at 10:51 am

    As much as I’d prefer online shopping to traditional shopping, I haven’t made much of a habit of it. It might be the fact that online shopping here in Canada is much less convenient and cost effective than it is in the States! We have Amazon Canada but it’s nothing compared to the US version. Shipping costs are insane for Ebay and the US version of Amazon to be shipped to Canada, even if the products are available internationally (which isn’t usually the case).

    Convenience is definitely something that makes me spend more, though, so I think your tip is valid. If my card information is saved in the system, I’m probably more likely to press “submit” in my shopping cart!

    Reply
  8. Syed @ The Broke Professional says

    April 8, 2014 at 9:53 am

    This is a great trick to reduce spending. A lot of times if I even have to stand up out of my seat to get my card I just won’t bother. Humans are funny creatures. And Amazon knows exactly how we work.

    Reply
  9. Tom R says

    July 22, 2014 at 7:59 am

    In my opinion, i you need to “lose” your credit card to keep yourself from buying stuff online, you’ve got a serious problem and shouldn’t have a credit card to start with.
    What’s wrong with some plain & simple common sense and self-restraint from time to time ?

    Just leave your shopping basket, close the session and think about your potential purchase for a few moments. Even better: sleep on it.
    Ask yourself these questions:
    -do I really need this item for a legitimate reason ? or did I create a reason ?
    -do I really need it now or can it wait ?
    -are there (cheaper, other) alternatives ?
    -how often will I use the item(s) ?

    I find that after having slept on these questions, I more often than not just delete my basket and carry on with other things.

    Reply
  10. emmyrinke says

    May 2, 2016 at 11:26 am

    Lately for my Amazon “wants” I will just leave the items in my shopping cart for a few days. This way I have time to analyze if it makes financial sense for me to purchase. It is amazing how many things I don’t end up buying!

    Reply

Join the Conversation: Cancel reply

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe

Best Of

  • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
    The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
  • 8 TED Talks That Will Inspire You To Become A Minimalist
    8 TED Talks That Will Inspire You To Become A Minimalist
  • Debt Is The Illusion Of Success
    Debt Is The Illusion Of Success
  • Who Are Your Financial Role Models?
    Who Are Your Financial Role Models?
  • This Statistic On Greed Will Shock You: Have Less? You'll Give More.
    This Statistic On Greed Will Shock You: Have Less? You'll Give More.
  • Is Frozen Juice Cheaper?
    Is Frozen Juice Cheaper?

Recent Posts

  • How to Pay Off Medical Debt
  • 5 Ways to Save Money Before a New Baby
  • 4 Ways to Save Money on Streaming Services
  • 5 Ways to Save Thousands in Mortgage Interest
  • Why Professional Maintenance on Your Vehicle Saves You Money in the Long Run

Search

Archives

  • January 2023 (1)
  • March 2022 (3)
  • February 2022 (2)
  • November 2021 (1)
  • October 2021 (2)
  • August 2021 (4)
  • July 2021 (5)
  • June 2021 (3)
  • May 2021 (2)
  • January 2021 (2)
  • December 2020 (2)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (3)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • May 2020 (2)
  • April 2020 (1)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (1)
  • November 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (4)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (1)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (3)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (3)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (5)
  • March 2018 (6)
  • February 2018 (4)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • December 2017 (10)
  • November 2017 (3)
  • July 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (5)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (8)
  • March 2017 (4)
  • February 2017 (3)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • November 2016 (4)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (4)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (3)
  • May 2016 (3)
  • April 2016 (4)
  • March 2016 (5)
  • February 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (3)
  • November 2015 (5)
  • October 2015 (5)
  • September 2015 (4)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • July 2015 (8)
  • June 2015 (6)
  • May 2015 (14)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (13)
  • February 2015 (12)
  • January 2015 (15)
  • December 2014 (10)
  • November 2014 (5)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (7)
  • August 2014 (12)
  • July 2014 (11)
  • June 2014 (12)
  • May 2014 (16)
  • April 2014 (13)
  • March 2014 (13)
  • February 2014 (9)
  • January 2014 (20)
  • December 2013 (9)
  • November 2013 (18)
  • October 2013 (15)
  • September 2013 (11)
  • August 2013 (11)
  • July 2013 (27)
  • June 2013 (18)
  • May 2013 (16)

Best Of

  • The New Rich: How $250k A Year Became Middle Class
  • 8 TED Talks That Will Inspire You To Become A Minimalist
  • Debt Is The Illusion Of Success

Recent Posts

  • How to Pay Off Medical Debt
  • 5 Ways to Save Money Before a New Baby
  • 4 Ways to Save Money on Streaming Services

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in