It’s the kind of confession that makes people laugh and then rethink their own spending.
“One of mine is, if alcohol passes my lips, I cannot add to cart for 24 hours,” says financial educator and author Melissa Browne.
The revelation, made in the new 7NEWS Money Talks podcast powered by Vanguard, is part of Browne’s surprising list of behavioural hacks designed to help Australians rein in impulse spending and reset their financial habits.
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It’s not a joke.
It’s her self-imposed rule designed to stop late-night online shopping after a glass of wine.
“Because let’s be honest,” she laughs, “once that sauv blanc hits, so does the dopamine. And suddenly, that $180 linen shirt feels essential.”
Browne knows impulsive spending is a symptom of something deeper.
“Our world’s been designed so we can shop 24/7 from the couch, with money that’s not even ours. Tap, click, confirm, it’s frictionless. So I deliberately build friction back in.”
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Her solution is what she calls a “30-day financial detox”, a twice-yearly reset she runs with her online community. “You pick your poison,” she says. “For me it’s clothes, shoes, books, magazines. For my husband, it’s second coffees and bought lunches.”
For 30 days, participants pause spending in their chosen categories and start noticing what drives their purchases.
“When you go to buy something, you ask: what’s the emotion behind this? Am I bored? Stressed? Avoiding something? Then you swap it for another dopamine hit, a walk, a call to a friend, a blast of Taylor Swift. You still get the reward, but you keep the money.”
Browne admits even she isn’t immune.
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“We’re all consumer zombies now,” she says. “If I asked you what you spent by tapping last weekend, could you tell me? Most people can’t.”
Her rule isn’t about deprivation, it’s about design. “I don’t save my card on shopping sites. I don’t have it loaded on my phone. The pain of having to get up, find my wallet and type it in gives me just enough pause to think, do I really need this?”
And for those still relying on willpower, she has a warning.
“Willpower is like a muscle, the more you use it, the more it fatigues,” she says. “So stop relying on it. Build systems that make it harder to sabotage yourself.”
The result is thousands saved, and a new sense of control. “It’s not about being perfect or never spending,” Browne says. “It’s about knowing when you’re in control and when you’re not.”
Her parting advice: “Make spending intentional. Add friction. And if alcohol touches your lips tonight, keep your fingers off ‘add to cart’ till tomorrow.”
What is the Money Talk podcast?
Money Talks, the new 7NEWS podcast powered by Vanguard, cuts through the confusion to help Australians take control of their money — from investing and super to saving and retirement.
Hosted by Tim McMillan, each episode features Australia’s leading personal finance minds and Vanguard experts sharing smart, practical insights to help you make confident decisions and build lasting financial freedom.
Along the way, listeners reveal their most honest money confessions — real stories of fear, failure, and success — giving experts the chance to unpack what’s really going on behind our financial habits and start the conversations we’ve all been too afraid to have.
It’s time to talk money – openly, honestly, and without the jargon.
Banked $10,000 30 years ago instead of buying shares? You’ve cost yourself $180,000
When investor Adrian Blazic first put his money into the share market, it was a leap of faith.
“No one knows what’s going to happen,” he says. “It’s not about predicting the future, it’s about sticking to a strategy.”
That strategy — staying invested through the ups and downs — has delivered for him.
“I’d be expecting to average 9.5 to 10 per cent per annum,” Blazic says.
His story echoes the findings of Vanguard’s 2025 Index Chart, released on Friday, which lays bare the extraordinary gap in returns between long-term investing and parking money in cash.
According to Vanguard, a $10,000 investment in Australian shares made on July 1, 1995 would have grown to $143,786 by June 30 this year.
The same amount invested in US shares would now be worth $214,332, more than $180,000 ahead of the cash equivalent and about $72,000 more than Australian shares.
By contrast, a $10,000 deposit left in a savings account over the same 30-year period would have grown to just $33,677.
The average annual returns since mid-1995 were:
US shares: 10.8 per centAustralian shares: 9.3 per centInternational shares (ex-Australia): 8.3 per centAustralian listed property: 8 per centAustralian bonds: 5.5 per centCash: 4.1 per cent
All figures assume income was reinvested and exclude investment acquisition costs, fees and taxes.
“Share market investors on average achieved at least triple the dollar returns of individuals who chose to keep their cash tied up in savings accounts over the last 30 years,” says Daniel Shrimksi, managing director of Vanguard Australia.
The three-decade period tracked by the Index Chart includes some of the most severe market events in modern history, including the dot com crash in 2000, the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Global Financial Crisis in 2008–09, the COVID-19 plunge in 2020, and more recent volatility driven by high US tariffs on some countries.
Each event triggered steep declines. September 11 sent global stocks tumbling. The GFC wiped trillions from markets. COVID sparked a 34 per cent crash. Yet every time, markets recovered.
“The index chart demonstrates how investment markets have kept rising strongly over time despite several significant share market corrections, economic downturns, changes in governments and world leaders, wars, natural disasters, and the impacts stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic,” added Shrimksi.
Money Talks is brought to you by Vanguard. Do you not like money? Start investing in your future with Vanguard’s investments and low-fee super.
Vanguard Investments Australia Ltd (ABN 72 072 881 086 / AFSL 227263) is the product issuer of Vanguard Personal Investor and the Vanguard Australian funds and ETFs. Vanguard Super Pty Ltd (ABN 73 643 614 386 / AFSL 526270) is the trustee of Vanguard Super. Read the relevant IDPS Guide, PDS and TMD available at vanguard.com.au and consider if a product is right for you before making an investment decision.
Vanguard analysis using SuperRatings Fee Report, shows Vanguard MySuper Lifecycle as one of the lowest fee MySuper products as at 31 December 2024 30 June 2025.
Other fees and costs may apply, please refer to the PDS.
All information in MoneyTalks is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances. You should always seek independent, professional financial advice from a licensed expert before making any financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.