The Bible talks a tremendous amount about money, spending, and how it affects our spiritual lives. Jesus even connects how we handle money to our future reward—both now and in eternity. In Luke 16:10–11, He says that if we can’t be trusted with worldly wealth, how can we be trusted with true riches? That’s a heavy thought. Our financial decisions aren’t just about budgeting—they’re spiritual choices with real consequences.
With that in mind, I want to offer a short list of tips to help combat addictive spending.
If you’re in a store and tempted to buy something, carry it around with you for at least one full lap while you browse. While you’re carrying it, ask yourself if you really need it.
I use this little hack pretty often, and it genuinely works. There’s something about holding an item for 15–20 extra minutes that helps me get over the catharsis of imagined ownership. It’s like my brain gets a kind of temporary “pretend ownership,” and it gives me enough time to evaluate if I truly need it. About half the time—if not more—I end up putting it back on the shelf.
When I’m in a store and I get the urge to buy something, I’ll often pull out my phone and check to see if the item is available online. The goal here isn’t necessarily to find a better deal—although that’s nice too—it’s to break the sense of urgency. Impulse buys often feed on the fear of missing out, like, if I don’t buy this right now, it’ll be gone forever.
But when I see that same item is available online, that fear loses its power. I know I can get it later if I really want it. That simple act of seeing it listed digitally—on Amazon, Target, wherever—breaks the spell and makes it surprisingly easy to walk away. Sometimes I’ll throw it in a digital cart just as a placeholder, but I don’t always need to. The power is in reminding myself that I’m not about to miss out on anything real.
Sometimes when I’m staring down a medium or large impulse purchase, I’ll literally bargain with myself in the moment. I’ll say, “If you walk away from this $100 item, I’ll let you get a $4 gourmet coffee instead.” That smaller purchase becomes a reward for resisting the larger one. It satisfies much of the same emotional urge—the catharsis of buying something—while saving me 95% of the cost.31
It might sound silly, but it works. The smaller buy scratches the itch, while also reinforcing the habit of saying no to unnecessary expenses.
Impulse buying is almost always a solo act—it’s just you and the thing you’re tempted to buy. I’ve noticed that if I get a phone call while I’m in the middle of an impulse buy moment, the distraction is enough to break the spell. Something about switching my brain into social mode pulls me out of that tunnel-vision and makes it easy to walk away from the purchase.
I’ve even learned to reverse-engineer that. If I feel the impulse building, I’ll pull out my phone and call my wife—just to chat, ask what time lunch is, or talk about anything. That quick human connection interrupts the emotional rush of the potential purchase. It shifts my focus and reminds me that the thing I thought I needed five seconds ago isn’t actually that important.
Some people find it helpful to give themselves a small, pre-approved amount of “fun money” in their budget each month. This helps take the pressure off spending decisions because the boundaries are already set. The freedom comes from knowing you’re not derailing your finances—and the structure can actually reduce the temptation to impulse spend outside of that category.
A very practical way to reduce spending triggers is to unsubscribe from promotional emails and unfollow brands or influencers that constantly push products. Many people find that simply reducing exposure to marketing makes a huge difference. Out of sight, out of mind actually works.
This is a digital boundary that limits temptation before it starts, and it’s surprisingly powerful in a world built around targeted advertising.
The most powerful way to combat unhealthy, impulsive spending is prayer. When I feel tempted in the moment, I’ll often say a quick, honest prayer to the Lord about what I’m wanting—acknowledging that it may not be something I need. Just having that brief conversation with God brings clarity and shifts my perspective. It’s hard to justify a purchase you don’t need when you’re standing there talking to your Creator about it.
But this isn’t just about reacting in the moment. Jesus, in His model prayer, teaches us to daily ask for our needs when He says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” That means we’re meant to regularly bring our financial desires and necessities before Him. When we consistently pray about what we need—and trust Him to provide—it tunes our hearts to depend on Him more than stuff. I believe this works because it releases the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives when we set our minds on things above instead of earthly impulses.
We live in a world that constantly encourages us to spend without thinking. But Jesus reminds us that how we manage money is a reflection of what’s happening in our hearts—and it impacts what He can entrust us with down the line. These seven simple habits—store laps, online checks, strategic bargaining, social interruptions, pre-set boundaries, cutting off digital triggers, and heartfelt prayer—are practical ways to fight against impulsive spending. It’s not about legalism or guilt; it’s about making room for better decisions, better stewardship, and ultimately, a life that reflects trust in God over stuff.
Another tip for #3 is a WANTS note on your calendar. Write your "gotta-have-it" on your calendar two weeks from today's date. When that day comes, decide to give it two more weeks, or let it go, or if you still want it and have the money, make the purchase.
Great article that blends well with my thoughts on the cycle of discontentment. That Store Lap technique really works.