Here is one of my favorite money saving tips.

Imagine this: You’re walking through Walmart with your child. You get to the dairy section and there, completely out of place, is a Dove Chocolate bar display. Your kid? Now screaming that they want a chocolate bar. You, harried from a long day of couponing, sigh and give in because after all, it’s only 54¢

Congrats. You just made an impulse purchase and cost yourself money.

How about this one: You get in line for checkout and suddenly you’re hungry so you grab a bag of chips or candy from the aisle and throw it on the belt. It’s only 75¢ right? Nope. You just blew your budget with this impulse purchase.

Money Saving Tips – What Is An Impulse Buy and How Does It Hurt You?

Impulse purchases are any purchases that you make that isn’t on your list. That’s why shopping with a list, and sticking to that list, is so very important. Yes, it may be just 50¢ now, but what if you made a 50¢ impulse purchase every time you were at the store?

Let’s say you shop twice a week: If you were spending 50¢ on impulse purchases each time, that’s $1.00 per week or $4.00 per month. That’s $48.00 per year on a 50¢ purchase! It really adds up, especially considering that most impulse purchases cost more than 50¢ each! Imagine if you were spending $2, $3 or even $15.00 per week? Personally my impulse buys are things like a $3 pack of Oreos….

Stores count on impulse buys. Have you ever noticed that milk is in the back of the store? How about at Walmart when you have to pass by toys to get from household items to grocery? They count on you not having enough willpower to pass them up. They count on your blowing your budget. This is also why you find displays of Nesquick chocolate near the milk, or marshmallows and chocolate near the graham crackers.

Impulse buys really can break your piggy bank and put you in a bind when you don’t want or need to be. Be mindful of your purchases, always shop with a list and Moms? Learn how to say no and you’ll save more money than you ever thought possible. Or better yet? Try to shop without your kids!

One trick I use is anything that is not on my list I put in the seat of the cart. Then before check out I go over what is in the seat. 9 times out of 10 by the time i hit check out the item doesn't look as appealing to me as it did in the aisle.

What are your money saving tips to combat impulse buying?