Quick $$$-saving cures for “overbuying syndrome”

Notice you spend more than you plan to when you shop? It’s not your fault! Stores are using secret tactics that get you to splurge…unless you know these easy study-proven tricks that help you keep more cash in your wallet

Wear a sweater in stores

Throw on a cardigan as you shop, and you’ll save big! Turns out, retailers lower the thermostat because being cold makes you spend more, shows research at England’s University of Oxford and New York City’s Baruch College. Feeling chilly triggers buying decisions based on in-the-moment satisfaction instead of long-term practicality, explains lead study author Rhonda Hadi, PH.D. “When you make emotion-based purchases, you actually feel warmer, so you instinctively make more of these purchases to counter the chill.”

Keep your budget in focus

Wonder why stores constantly change displays and move items from one area to another? It makes you cover more ground to find what you want, which raises the likelihood of impulse buys 57%, reveals a study published in the Journal of Marketing. “Seeing more products makes you more likely to purchase unplanned items you want but don’t need,” says study co-author J. Jeffrey Inman, PH.D. His advice: Set a budget that allows for some unplanned purchases. “This way, you leave room for a few extras while setting a cap on how much you put in your basket.”

Enjoy freebies guilt-free

Love those free samples of coffee and other goodies? In one study, stores that gave away food experienced a 475% rise in profits that day! Why? Researchers reporting in the British Food Journal found that consumers tend to subconsciously view freebies as “gifts” and feel pressure to reciprocate with a purchase. Yet as lead study author Carrie M. Heilman, PH.D., notes, “Free samples are no different than the other ways brands market to you with advertisements and sales promotions.” That means you can partake guilt-free!

Use a keyboard to e-shop

Retailers are making their websites easier than ever to shop while using a touchscreen phone or tablet. Trouble is, if you do, you’ll likely spend more on non-necessities than if you’d used a computer to shop, according to research at the University of British Columbia and Bowling Green State University. Using a touchscreen is “playful and fun,” which triggers a preference for products that are also playful and fun, says lead study author Ying Zhu, PH.D. By contrast, using a computer keyboard feels “logical and functional,” which triggers a preference for practical purchases!