What finally slowed me down: working out what each thing costs me every time I use it
I used to buy things because they felt cheap in the moment. 30 here, 40 there. It never felt like much.
A few months ago I started doing something simple. For everything I bought, I divided the price by the number of times I had actually used it. The results were uncomfortable. The "cheap" things I bought on impulse were the most expensive things I owned, because I had used them once or twice. The things I had agonised over, like a good coat, were costing me almost nothing per wear.
Two habits came out of it:
Before I buy, I ask how many times I will realistically use it, and divide the price by that.
Then I put it on a list and wait a few days. Most things don't survive the wait.
It hasn't fixed everything, but it changed what "a bargain" means to me.
Has anyone else tried something like this? What helped you pause before buying?