Looking for someone to blame for your poor spending habits?
Look no further than the phone in your pocket. But just because it’s not always your fault doesn’t mean it’s your responsibility to fix; here are four ways your phone is secretly costing you and how you can circumvent these situations to help save money.
Push Notifications
Shopping apps are notorious for sending push notifications to induce FOMO. There’s a limited-time offer, so act now! The price just dropped for that thing you were looking at yesterday! And that sale we’ve been mentioning all week is about to run out! This isn’t an accident. They want you to feel like you’re running out of time to take advantage of a bargain.
Awareness is helpful here, but so is limiting which push notifications you receive. You don’t need any app sending you as many notifications as most of them do, but you should opt out of promotional notifications as often as possible, especially if you’re prone to impulse buying.
Social Media and Targeted Ads
Social media is a gold mine for advertisers, and they see dollar signs every time you scroll. Your browsing and purchase history get tracked, so you see ads tailored just for you. Influencers and “friends” show off new stuff, and suddenly you’re thinking, “Maybe I do need those shoes.”
Don’t give in to peer pressure.
Knowing you’re being sold something is a good way to remind yourself that you have a say in the matter. No matter how relentless the ad campaign might be, you know it’s just that: an ad campaign designed to convince you to buy something. Don’t buy a solution when you don’t have a problem, and you should have a much easier time avoiding the siren call of the social media ad.
Unnecessary Upgrades
No one’s forcing us to buy a new phone every year or so, yet we keep doing it. It makes sense, because the marketing wants you to believe this phone you were happy with yesterday is now an ancient, worthless stone tablet.
Remind yourself that if your phone is working fine, there’s no reason to upgrade. This is also easier to combat if you have a budget, because you can either budget for the new phone in advance if you really want it, or use your budget to justify exactly why you shouldn’t bother.
Subscription Services
Phones are often the gateway to subscription services you forget to cancel for months or even years. You’ll see a “life-changing” app and tell yourself you’ll cancel it after the free trial. But not only does the app take up space on your phone, it slowly siphons money out of your bank account every month, no matter how often you remind yourself it has to go.
Don’t justify yourself with the “it’s just five bucks” mentality. And if you do want to try a new app, put the end of the trial in your calendar and set an alarm.
