If you want to take control of your finances, one of the things that might trip you up is making impulse purchases.  And with all the deals you can find online and on Amazon Prime, there are more temptations to blow your budget than ever!

So your Small Step to take to avoid that is to follow the “72 Hour Rule.”

Before you make any purchase that isn’t something that you immediately need, wait for 72 hours before hitting the buy button.

Khou.com explains why:

Why wait 72 hours?

Our brains respond positively to instant gratification. It’s why so many of us find it difficult to save money or lose weight. We want the item or food now, and when there’s nothing stopping us, why wait?

You need the space between receiving the money and spending it to think. The shorter that space is, the less time you have to think and the more likely you are to spend the funds impulsively.

Maybe you need only 24 hours instead of 72, or maybe you need a little longer to decide what to do with money, but the same lesson applies. If you’re considering a purchase that’s a “want” and not a “need,” think before you buy.