A Social Media Break Could Save You Money. Here’s How

You’ve done the math (or your stack of bills has done it for you), and you’ve determined you are, indeed, spending more than you’d like as a result of social media. 

Take heart! There are steps away from the endless add-to-cart void. Here are a few to try.

1. Make a budget – and stick to it.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: you need a budget, even if you throw your cell phone off a bridge. And since you’re unlikely to do that, and you’re reading this article, chances are you definitely need a budget when it comes to online spending. 

Crafting your budget doesn’t have to be work-intensive. One of the *good* things about the internet: there are plenty of easy-to-use budgeting apps that can help you control how much you’re spending (and how much you actually should be spending) in a flash. 

You can even add in a line item for social media spending to keep enjoying those fun one-off purchases, but with a little more intention. Win-win! 

2. Curate your feed.

These days, it’s pretty impossible to avoid targeted ads at all – as mentioned above, advertisers are spending plenty of money to get their content in front of your eyeballs. 

But if you tend to buy items because #influencers are dishing about them on their pages, or to keep up with high-rolling friends, it might be time to rake your follow list for folks who encourage you to spend more than you’d rather. 

Don’t want to cut someone out entirely? You could also consider muting them for a while until you break the spending habit.

3. Make a wish list.

It sounds counterintuitive, but it can work: next time you want to nab something off the ‘gram, write it into a wish list instead. 

The comfort of knowing you’ve written it down and won’t forget about it can grant you permission to take a beat before buying it. And giving yourself some cool-down time can clarify what you actually want – and what was purely a short-term impulse. You may discover that, two weeks later, the items on your wish list don’t look so tempting anymore… and if they do, you can purchase them in good conscience (as long as it fits your budget!). 

4. Find an accountability buddy.

You’re likely not the only person in your circle of friends – physical and virtual – who struggles with social-media-induced spending. Almost everyone with a smartphone is subject to the whims of those mysterious algorithms.

Find an accountability buddy and make a pact that neither of you will spend more than a certain limit – or anything at all – in response to social media ads for a set amount of time. Customize the terms to your spending habits and preferences; maybe you go cold turkey for a month or limit yourself to $20 per week. Either way, partnering up can help you both break the cycle.

5. Consider taking a break.

You knew it was coming. If you’re facing dire straits when it comes to social media spending, it might be time to say goodbye – even if not forever. Getting some space from social media could be a game-changer for your online financial life, not to mention your life life.