It only takes a click or two to end up the owner of pretty much anything you want. (Just ask my husband, who somehow “butt bought” a record once while he was walking downstairs.) But if you don’t have a lot of willpower (and honestly, who does?), that can quickly lead to owning a lot of stuff that you don’t necessarily love that clutters up your house and puts a major dent in your finances.
In a fit of buyer’s remorse after I splurged on a kitchen appliance that I used exactly twice in a year, I pledged to figure out a new approach to make sure that every purchase was intentional. And it’s made a huge difference in how much I buy, how cluttered my house is, and how my bank account looks at the end of the month.
What Is the 24-Hour Rule?
The 24-hour rule is kind of all in the name. Unless I’m buying groceries or something else we absolutely need (think a box of tissues or batteries when we’re all out), I don’t buy it right away. I can look at the item and even pop it into my cart, but I give myself a day to think about it before I seal the deal.
How the 24-Hour Rule Helps Me
By taking the power of purchase out of the moment, the 24-hour rule gives me time to be a bit more clear-headed in my buying, and it’s paid off in spades. I’d estimate that at least 80% of the time, I straight up forget about the item I was about to buy, which means that it was definitely not that “must have” I thought it was in the heat of the moment. I’ve found this especially held true with clothing, where I have a tendency to impulse buy and keep buying the same thing over and over. (Do I have a dozen black t-shirts? Yes. Do I need another? With the 24-hour rule, that answer has been, decidedly, no.)
There’s another great reason to add to cart and delay your potential purchase a day or two. If it’s a store you already have an account with, they may slip you a discount via email or text to get you to complete the transaction—so you can save some money if you do decide to indulge. (That’s how I scored 20% off on some paint I wanted to redo my bathroom.)
During that 24-hour waiting period, I might do some extra research to see if it’s something that’s really worth the expense. And sometimes, it clearly isn’t—my passion for a smart scale fizzled after I saw a slew of unsatisfied customers on Reddit.
I may also take stock of what I already have (no more scented candles when I already have a shelf full!), look on other sites to see if they have the product or something similar for less, and consider if it’s something I actually need to buy—or something I could potentially borrow. So before I purchased a tiered tray for a tea party, I posted the ask on my local Buy Nothing group and was able to borrow one for free. (Because how often do you really use a tiered tray?)
And if the 24 hours are over and I’m ready to buy, I click with confidence. So far, I don’t feel like I’ve missed a thing—and the only thing that’s getting cluttered around my house is my bank account (a major win!).