Are you guilty of impulse purchases? I know I am! But according to this annual survey from Slickdeals, impulse buying is actually down this year.
Impulse Purchases
I’m sure inflation is partially to blame for that. But out of the 2,000 Americans they surveyed, 38% have decreased their spending. And that’s more than just 14% down in 2022 and 16% in 2021.
The results also show that the number of impulse purchases has seen a decrease. In fact, the average respondent is making just 6 impulse purchases in a month. Back in 2022 and 2021, the average person was making 12 purchases per month. And in 2020, the number was 9 per month.
And of course, when you’re cutting back on purchasing, chances are you’re going to save some money. Seven in ten of the respondents have saved. And 77% have been more aware of their budgets due to inflation.
So when it comes to those purchases, what are the most common items?
Common Impulse Shopping Categories:
- Clothing
- Junk Food
- Household Items
- Shoes
- Takeout Food
- Books
- Toys
- Gadgets
- Coffee
My Shopping Habits
I have to admit, I am guilty of impulse purchases. But I do go through periods of limiting myself. After so long though… it’s like I just can’t hold back any longer. And that’s when I usually spend money that I shouldn’t, or that I wind up regretting.
I figured I’d give you all a little sneak peek into the type of things I buy when the mood strikes. So I looked back at my Amazon purchase history… Plus, I thought of some additional items that I’d Googled and kept seeing ads for.
And while I’m sure there’s a lot more I could add to this list. In fact, as I was putting this together, I came up with at least 3 more things. But let’s just stick to the top 5 most recent impulse purchases!
Pop-On Nails
I started seeing ads on social media for this one particular brand of pop-on, reusuable nails. Unfortunately, my nails haven’t always been the strongest, so it’s hard to grow them out. I’ve had acrylic nails before, but it wrecked my real nails afterward. Plus, I don’t have the time or money to get the fill-ins every two weeks. But I’ve been on this nail kick lately. There’s just something that I love about having long, pretty nails.
I had bought some nice nail polish not too long ago… and tried painting my own nails, but I’m just not great at it. And I also bought some clear polish I’d seen on TikTok that was supposed to be great for growing long, strong nails. It has worked great, actually! My nails are able to grow longer than they probably ever have. But then I wind up trying to shape and shorten them… and I mess it up everytime and wind up cutting them so short!
I figured pop-on nails would be a fun experiment. Plus, they are fairly inexpensive. And this particular brand is supposedly reuseable. Honestly, the first set I’ve put on are a bit longer than what I’d like. You can file them down like your natural nail, but I don’t have the best reputation with shaping and shortening… so I left them as is. I LOVED this color too. They lasted 4-5 days, and would’ve lasted longer… but I did somehow lose the thumbnail. So I wound up taking them all off. I’d bought the remover they offered, but the rest of the nails were secured pretty well and I lost my patience. In the process of removing them, I did break a few of them.
I do have another set that I haven’t tried yet. They are more square too. Maybe I’ll get those put on this weekend!
Books
I’ve talked about how much I love to read many times. And chances are, if you recommend a book… I’m going to at least look it up and consider buying it. I’ve been better lately, since I do try to get books from the library. But when it comes to self-help type books, I’m more than likely going to buy them!
My most recent book purchases were: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and Home Coming by Dr. Thema Bryant.
So far, I’ve only read The Four Agreements. It’s a pretty quick read. And it has some strange parts… but the overall lessons in it are really good.
Home Coming is a book I’d heard about on The Mel Robbins Podcast. I heard the author when she was on for an interview, and really wanted the book. I just thought about it this morning, I really need to dig into it.
I have some books downloaded on my Kindle app… but I have the hardest time reading off of a screen. Especially for long periods of time.
Dog Items
It’s no surprise that this would make the list. Anyone who knows me at all, knows just how much I love my dogs. They get Christmas presents, birthday presents, and just because presents. And no, they aren’t spoiled… Ha!
The most recent purchase from Amazon that I made was this adorable inflatable collar. Harley, my oldest pup, had surgery and they put her in one of those terrible plastic cones. She kept bumping into things with it, and the noise would startle her. I searched for alternatives… and found this. I mean, just look at how cute she is!
Sweets
Again, this one probably isn’t too much of a surprise. Dub and I often talk about how much we love sweets. And don’t even get me started on how bad my impulse purchasing is when I’m at the grocery store when I’m hungry!
Tee had been raving about the Peanut Butter Puppy Chow Blizzard at Dairy Queen. I’d been wanting to try it, so a few weeks ago we hit the drive through at a DQ on our way home from taking my step daughter back to her mom.
It’s not my most recent “sweets” purchase… just the only one I have photo proof of!
