Brits made nearly 200 million impulse purchases last month alone — that’s 198,383,538 items bought on a whim, according to VoucherCodes research. That works out to roughly three spontaneous buys per person every month. The real sting comes when you add it up: the average person spends £605.13 a year on things they didn’t plan to buy. That’s not pocket change — that’s a short-haul flight, a decent emergency fund contribution, or a full month of groceries for some households.
Most of these buys feel harmless at the time — a snack at the till, a dress from a TikTok ad, a candle from the middle aisle at the supermarket. But the pattern is what matters. Forty purchases a year, each one small, each one unplanned. Over time, that habit quietly drains what could otherwise go toward something you actually want. Here’s what you actually need to know.
Four Things to Know About Impulse Spending — and What It Actually Costs You
Impulse spending isn’t a character flaw — it’s a response to how shopping is designed. The term itself describes any unplanned purchase made in the moment, driven by emotion rather than need. What I tend to notice is that people who think they’re bad with money are often just reacting to environments built to separate them from it.
Why Impulse Spending Undermines Your Savings — Even When You’re Trying to Be Careful
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: you can follow a budget, put money into a savings account, and still feel like you’re getting nowhere. Impulse spending is often the reason. Those small, unplanned purchases don’t show up in your monthly budget because they weren’t in it. They slip through the cracks, and over a year, they can easily total more than what you managed to save.
The research backs this up. The average person spends £50.43 a month on impulse buys. That’s over £600 a year — roughly the same amount many people aim to save in a no-spend challenge. If you’re saving £100 a month but impulse-spending £50, half your progress is undone before it starts.
Younger adults feel this most acutely. People aged 25–34 spend £69.89 a month on impulse purchases — the highest of any age group. That’s £838 a year. For someone in that bracket, who may also be dealing with rent, student loans, and building an emergency fund, that’s a significant leak. The irony is that many of these purchases are driven by the very platforms — TikTok, Instagram — that also serve ads for budgeting apps and savings challenges.
Where People Go Wrong — and How to Fix It
Most people know they impulse spend. The problem isn’t awareness — it’s that the fixes they try don’t address the real cause. Here are the most common mistakes, and what actually works instead.
Relying on Willpower Alone
Willpower is a finite resource. By the end of a long day, your ability to resist a £5 snack or a £20 dress is much lower than it was in the morning. The research shows that 45% of impulse buys happen during grocery shopping — a routine, low-stakes errand where your guard is down. The fix isn’t to try harder. It’s to change the environment. Write a shopping list before you leave the house and stick to it. Leave your card at home and take only cash. Remove the option to impulse buy, and you won’t need willpower.
Ignoring the Role of Social Media
TikTok is the worst offender: 14% of people say they’re most likely to impulse spend while using the app. The combination of influencer recommendations and TikTok Shop — which lets you buy without leaving the app — creates a near-frictionless purchasing path. The fix is straightforward but uncomfortable: set app limits. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit. Pick your most tempting social media app and set a 15-minute daily cap. You’ll scroll less and buy less.
Treating All Spending the Same
Not all unplanned spending is equal. A £3 snack from the supermarket and a £50 dress from an Instagram ad are both impulse buys, but they require different strategies. The snack is a low-cost, high-frequency purchase — the solution is a list and a full stomach before you shop. The dress is a higher-cost, lower-frequency purchase — the solution is a 24-hour waiting rule. Add it to your basket, then close the tab. If you still want it tomorrow, consider it. Most of the time, you won’t.
Not Tracking the Small Stuff
People track their rent, their bills, their big subscriptions. But the £4 coffee, the £6 lunch deal, the £12 candle — those go unrecorded. Over a month, they can easily total £50 or more. The fix is to use a banking app that categorises spending automatically. Monzo and Starling both do this well. Seeing “£47.50 spent on snacks this month” is often enough to change behaviour without any additional effort.
→ Scroll right to see all columns
| Age Group | % Who Made an Impulse Buy (Past Month) | Average Monthly Spend |
|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | 97% | £55.20 |
| 25–34 | 92% | £69.89 |
| 35–44 | 85% | £48.30 |
| 45–54 | 78% | £42.15 |
| 55–64 | 76% | £41.00 |
| 65+ | 74% | £40.14 |
Heads up — some links on this page may earn me a small cut if you buy something. Doesn’t change the price for you, and I only link stuff that’s actually relevant.
How to Build Impulse-Proof Spending Habits — A Practical Guide
This isn’t about deprivation. It’s about designing your environment so that your future self doesn’t have to fight the same battle every day. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Create Friction Between You and the Buy
The easier it is to buy, the more you’ll buy. TikTok Shop, one-click checkout, saved card details — all of these remove the pause that might otherwise save you money. Add friction back. Delete saved payment details from your browser. Unlink your card from shopping apps. Use a card holder that forces you to take your card out of your wallet rather than tapping contactless. Every extra second gives your rational brain time to catch up with your impulsive one.
Use the 24-Hour Rule for Non-Essentials
Anything that isn’t food, medicine, or a genuine emergency gets a 24-hour waiting period. Add it to your basket or wishlist, then close the tab. The next day, ask yourself: do I still want this, or was it just the moment? Most of the time, the urge passes. This works especially well for clothing — the most common impulse category, accounting for 38% of all impulse buys. If you still want it after 24 hours, and it fits your budget, buy it. But you’ll find that many items lose their appeal overnight.
Set a Monthly “Fun Money” Budget
Impulse spending isn’t inherently bad — it’s unplanned spending that causes the problem. The fix is to plan for it. Set aside a specific amount each month — say £30 or £50 — that you’re allowed to spend on anything, no questions asked. When it’s gone, it’s gone. This gives you permission to enjoy spontaneous purchases without guilt, while keeping them contained. Banking apps like Monzo let you create a separate “fun money” pot, making it easy to see what’s left.
Replace the Habit, Don’t Just Remove It
Impulse buying is often a response to boredom, stress, or the need for a quick dopamine hit. If you just remove the shopping, you’re left with the underlying feeling. The research shows that 8% of people impulse buy when the weather is bad and they’re stuck indoors. The solution isn’t to stare at the wall — it’s to have a list of free or low-cost alternatives ready. A walk, a podcast, a phone call with a friend, a library book. Keep a list on your phone so you don’t have to think about it in the moment.
Track Everything for One Month
You can’t fix what you don’t measure. For one month, write down every single unplanned purchase — the coffee, the snack, the app subscription you forgot to cancel. Use a notes app, a spreadsheet, or a spending tracker notebook. At the end of the month, total it up. The number will probably surprise you. That awareness alone is often enough to change behaviour. After that, you can decide which categories to target first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is impulse spending always bad? ▾
What’s the most common impulse buy in the UK? ▾
How can I stop impulse buying on my phone? ▾
Does gender affect impulse spending? ▾
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Can a budgeting app really help with impulse spending? ▾
Your Savings Start With the Small Stuff
The numbers are clear: the average person spends over £600 a year on things they didn’t plan to buy. That’s not a moral failing — it’s a design problem. The shops, apps, and platforms you use are built to encourage exactly this behaviour. The good news is that small changes — a shopping list, a 24-hour rule, a separate fun money pot — can cut that number dramatically without making you feel deprived. Start with one change this week. Track what happens. Then decide what’s next.
If this was useful, you might also want to read Rethink Your Spending Habits: A UK Guide to Mindful Money Management.
Sources and Further Reading
Practical Tips for Reducing Debt in the UK — If impulse spending has left you with debt, this guide covers the most effective ways to pay it down.
The Reverse Budget That’s Helping Brits Save More, Worry Less — A different approach to budgeting that prioritises savings first and lets you spend the rest freely.
VoucherCodes (2024). Spend Happy: How to Curb Your Impulse Spending. 🔗
