Despite the best intentions, I’ve yet to find someone who never impulse buys. You know the feeling- you’ve nipped out for some needed household goods like washing up liquid, eggs and dishrags and walked out with a dozen unexplainable shopping bags and a significantly lighter purse.

It’s difficult to explain what happens between the moment you enter the shop and when you’re at the till experiencing a massive, ‘how did it come out to so much?’ moment. A tremendous amount of willpower is required to resist the careful visual marketing and strategic pricing that ultimately causes overspending on a shopping trip.

On top of that, shopping feels good. Chalk it up to the hunter/gatherer instinct to be prepared, or something. For some reason, admiring a well-stocked cupboard of waiting-to-be-used soaps and shiny new colanders satisfies our homemaking impulses (male and female!) and entices us to shore up our reserves. But with a few strategies, you can limit the risk of checkout chagrin.

Shop online

I know, I know, as Sian points out, sometimes it’s a bit too easy to drop your hard-earned pounds just clicking the ‘buy me now’ button. But there’s an additional level of temptation when you’re holding a well-priced and shiny new thing in your hand, imagining it as yours. The extra barrier of a shipping charge can increase your reticence to pick up a few things you may not want or need, just because they’re attractively priced.

And even with a lack of shipping and handling charges, you can still be a bit more judicious when you’re able to leave items in your cart to mull over instead of having decide before the shop closes. In fact, a service like Amazon Prime can, despite the initial £49 yearly investment, save you a bit more when you shop- hear me out.

As a single mum, each year I end up re-upping my Prime membership yearly around Christmas. When I work out the cost of petrol, babysitters to watch my kids and keep the Santa story intact and time away from work, I come out on top for expenditures for the holidays. And when I need something around the house, it gets to me in a day for free at competitive prices- plus, I don’t have to be lured by new knickers, a display of lip liners or fancy biscuits as intensely when I just need a replacement slotted spoon.

Make a list

Okay, this is rule #1 and is cited by everyone when discussing shopping strategy. But when you’ve got the list in your hand, you can see you’ve gone ten items over it than if you’re working from memory. Otherwise, it’s easy to believe you’ve come in aiming to buy new sheets and a three pack of shaving foam because they’re on special offer.

Shop without shopping

I am not the frugal blogger that doesn’t love frivolous shopping. Socks, lip gloss, wall decor, dishes- shopping is always a fun way to pass the time. And like sugar-free sweets or a nicotine lozenge, there are ways to scratch the itch satisfyingly without bruising your budget.

Wanelo is my new obsession for shopping without shopping. A social shopping site, Wanelo allows you to accumulate a collection without ever whipping out your plastic. Gathering together all the pairs of boots, dresses and necklaces you like in a single place is a pleasurable pastime, and having a detailed wish list comes in handy when you actually do have room in your budget for a new pair of jeans or trainers.

Wists is another, similar service for bookmarking your most wanted items, and Polyvore is a shockingly addictive site on which you can put together your ideal outfit, room or other collection and save and share it with friends.

If all else fails

Leave your purse or wallet at home. Knowing you only want to spend £20 and actually physically only having £20 on you can mean the difference between an extra £15 or more here or there. You may have to pare your basket a bit more aggressively, but chances are you won’t miss the extras by the time you get home and unpack your shopping bags.

What are your strategies for avoiding pain at checkout? How to you curb the temptation to impulse purchase while you shop?

{Photo: Andrewarchy}