We’ve all been there- we pop out of the office at lunch and the lure of a new pair of shoes or CD proves too much and we come back to the office with a new purchase, or after a stressful day we hand over the plastic and are perked up by a new purchase.

But we all know the pleasure those items give us is quickly dented, when the credit bill arrives or we check our bank account and are confronted with high overdraft fees. Then to cheer ourselves up we may even head back to the shops and spend even more.

A recent VitalSmarts study saw children being told they could earn some money and were asked how much they wanted to save and how much they were going to spend. They were then introduced into what VitalSmarts described as an impulse rich environment, with bright advertising posters, and samples of different sweets

The children were told they could purchase sweets before they earned the money, with whatever they spent to be deducted from what they earned- recreating the model of buying on credit.

Before the study most children wanted to save around 87% of the money, but once they were confronted with the buying environment and the offers and samples that went with it, the average amount they were left to save was around 32%.

This echoes the situation many adults find themselves in, as they set a budget, which is then forgotten once they have consumables in front of them and are in the ‘buy,buy, buy’ environment that most shopping centres are.

To stop this impulsive buying in its tracks the best thing would be to avoid the shops altogether- but obviously this is completely impractical as there are things you do need. But when you are shopping employ a friend to act as your jimmy cricket and be your conscious when the buying impulse strikes. Make sure you choose wisely and make sure the friend knows your budget and knows why you have a budget.

Another tip is to reward yourself with small purchases every now and then, to give you a more motivation. If you cut out non necessities completely then it’s likely you will crack and end up on a shopping spree, whereas by planning some of your budget to be used for treats your more likely to achieve your goals.

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