How to Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need

The first day of spring arrives this week, and I’ve already begun my seasonal tradition of paring down my stuff. It’s gratifying to have a newly empty shelf, but resisting the urge to load it with new stuff can be tough. When you “turn off the shopping tap,” you save money, have fewer things to maintain and are more eco-friendly, said Ashlee Piper, a sustainability consultant. I asked Ms. Piper and other experts for their best tips to stop buying things you don’t need.

MAKE PURCHASING LESS CONVENIENT. Shopping has become a “frictionless experience,” Ms. Piper said, allowing you to buy things at a touch of a button. So creating friction will help you buy less. One way to do this is to delete your credit card information from your accounts with online shops so it takes longer to make a purchase, she said. And block any emails, texts or push notifications from retailers, she added.

DON’T BUY FOR YOUR ‘FUTURE SELF.’ Courtney Carver, the author of “Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less, and Live the Life You Actually Want,” said that when she is tempted to buy something, she asks herself: Is this useful for my life today, right now? Will I actually use this in the next 30 days? Don’t be tricked by your idealized version of that future self, Ms. Carver said. I once bought a fondue set that sat unopened for years before I gave it away.

TRY A ‘PURCHASE PAUSE.’ Over a month, notice every time you’re tempted to buy something nonessential, Ms. Piper suggested. Then, instead of giving in to the urge, log the item in the Notes app on your phone or in a notebook. At the end of the month, she said, look at the list and ask yourself if you still want these things. Often, she said, the answer is no.

SAVE SPACE BY BORROWING. For items you use only once in a while, Ms. Piper said, consider renting or borrowing them. Shira Gill, an organizing expert, and the author of “LifeStyled,” said that she swaps dresses with a friend for events like weddings. Or you can tap community groups for a seemingly endless array of things, Ms. Gill said. Check to see if Facebook Marketplace has a swap and share group in your area, or try the Buy Nothing Project to find a nearby group you can join.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.