Binge-watching, all-day eating, reading your hauled books, cutting or dyeing your hair, vlogging, or working out—we had already done a lot of things to spend our days and save ourselves from boredom and getting burned-out because working from home can really be draining, not to mention the stressful events all over the news . And of course, most of us impulsively clicked that “add to cart” button, because we’re just “comfort buying,” right?

According to Credit Karma’s (an American multinational personal finance company) survey more than a third of American’s are making impulse online purchases and almost 20% said they are spending more now before the quarantine happened. From those who had spent more, 10% have gone more than $1,000 from their budget.

While many have lost their jobs and are struggling to find support for their basic needs, some people are doing impulse shopping online for things that are not essential, to somehow ease the stress and pressure from the pandemic.

Employees who are currently working at home amidst the COVID-19 pandemic oftentimes get tempted to browse e-commerce sites and applications. But, now, might not be the best time to spend your money on stuff that you actually don’t necessarily need—this is to avoid yourself from overspending while you are working at home.

According to Jennifer Bohr-Cuevas, a disaster mental health specialist and clinical social worker in Huntington in an article written by Sheryl Nance-Nash, “People have absolutely shifted from panic buying to comfort spending. It could become a big problem for people who were at risk for this type of behavior prior to COVID-19 and will enlist new people.”

“Online shopping gives people an escape, relieves anxiety and quells boredom. The anticipation and delivery of packages replaces the joy that was sought elsewhere prior to COVID-19. But it is only a band-air.” She added.

According to Paul Marsden, a consumer psychologist at the University of the Arts London claimed that “Panic buying can be understood as playing to our three fundamental psychology needs.” These needs are autonomy (the need to feel in control of your actions), relatedness (the need to feel that we are doing something to benefit our families), and competence (the need to feel like smart shoppers making the correct choice).

Most of us assume that we can save a lot of money during this trying time, so we become too comfortable and we don’t check out our expenses from online shopping—if it’s a necessity or not.

The key to avoid yourself from overspending is by being strategic—you can add your items to you cart, but do not check it out yet. Give it at least a 24-48 hour waiting time before your proceed to check out. This will give you time to think if you really need or want that item, this will give you enough time as well if you are going to use that stuff most of the time.

Overspending once or twice is not utterly a big deal. In fact, e-commerce gained in the Philippines during COVID-19 lockdown, according to Philippine Daily Inquirer, as we all shift and rely everything to the internet.

Photo from Global Web Index

But, it only becomes a trouble when overspending becomes a hobby. You always tell yourself “minsan lang naman,” but in reality you have already said that to yourself a couple of times until that sometimes becomes often or always, and you no longer track your expenses and you will be surprised how much you have spent at the end.

Hence, you might want to think thoroughly before hitting that “check out” button. Happy online shopping, wisely!