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You see it. You want it. You buy it. Let’s face it: impulse spending is hard to resist, especially in a world where social media tells us to have it now (and, in some cases, pay it back later).
The problem with giving in to these urges is that it can derail your budget — and hold you back from living your best financial life, according to a new survey.
Intuit $INTU‘s 2026 Financial Wellness Survey found that 45% of Americans admit that impulse spending impedes their financial goals. But that’s not stopping them from those purchases. Instead, 38% say that joy drives them to spend, even as 54% of respondents have financial regrets about their choices.
Intuit surveyed 2,000 adults ages 18 to 60 in December to ask questions about the state of their financial health.
“Impulse spending is often less about the item and more about the emotional relief it provides in the moment,” said Marsha Barnes, a financial therapist and founder of The Finance Bar, a financial wellness company. “The joy people feel is usually real, but short-lived.”
So what drives us to spend even when we know there are financial consequences?
The culprit is dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical that gets a happy jolt from impulsive purchases that might suppress boredom, stress, anxiety, or other negative emotions. But as the survey shows, that momentary thrill fades quickly when reality sets in.
“When joy is used as a coping strategy instead of an experience aligned with values, it becomes expensive and unsustainable,” Barnes said. “Over time, the gap between how someone wants their money to work and how it’s actually being spent creates frustration, guilt and financial stagnation.”
The weekend splurge strategy
To have it all, Intuit’s survey found that 49% of Americans rationalize living frugally during the week to justify weekend splurges.
Think salads and packed lunches and no Starbucks $SBUX runs Monday through Friday, then partying it up at a concert on Saturday and bottomless brunch and mimosas on Sunday.
Tori Dunlap, founder of Her First $100K, a money and career platform for women, likens this spending pattern to modern diet culture, where most people follow a restriction-binge cycle.
The problem is it rarely works for long.
“Sustainable money habits come from consistency, not punishment,” Dunlap said. “You don’t need to suffer to be financially successful. You need a plan that allows for joy on purpose, not as a reaction.”
Social media FOMO
Making matters worse, Intuit’s survey found that 77% of respondents said social spending is especially hard to trim back, citing dining out with friends, entertainment and hobbies as non-negotiables even when money is tight.
As hard as it is, though, you have to block out that FOMO (fear of missing out) noise because “there’s always somebody trying to separate us from our money,” said Dr. Preston Cherry, a certified financial planner and financial therapist.
He noted that social media can make this harder, because you’re bombarded with influencer and product marketing every time you scroll.
It’s not impossible, though. The first step is ensuring harmony with your life and financial goals.
“When you align your life and money… your life and money has alignment — and your money has assignments,” he said. This kind of mindset shift gives you permission to spend with more intentionality, helping you to limit impulsive purchases and live guilt-free, Cherry added.
Finding sustainable joy
“Joy doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be intentional,” Dunlap said. “Money should support a life you love, not replace one you haven’t built yet.”
The Intuit survey shows there’s some contradiction in how people prioritize social spending despite realizing it leads to financial regrets and struggles after the fact. But it also reveals an emotional tie to money.
“It’s about connection, right?” Gonzalez said, noting that people may prioritize spending on those experiences because it brings them closer to people. “The thing is, you can have those connections and conversations with people and not spend money.”
Consider free or lower-cost options such as hosting a potluck at home, having a picnic at the park or grabbing a coffee and taking a walk.
Instead of viewing budget cuts as deprivation, recognize that you won’t have to tighten the money belt forever. “Once you do reach some of these large goals, you will have the disposable income to live life a little more,” Gonzalez pointed out.
Tips for curbing impulsive spending
When does impulse spending cross the line from occasional threat to overindulgence?
“It’s a problem when spending consistently causes financial harm or emotional distress,” Dunlap said. “If you’re going into debt, missing bills, hiding purchases, feeling intense guilt or anxiety, or using spending to cope with emotions you don’t want to feel, that’s a red flag.”
Here are a few strategies to regain control of your money:
- Do an honest self-audit. To break the impulse spending cycle, Cherry recommends reviewing three to 12 months of spending to identify patterns. “Admit where you are, acknowledge how you feel about it, then take action,” he said.
- Pause before you purchase. Wait 24 hours before hitting the purchase button in your cart. This works wonders for non-essentials, and the pause helps you evaluate whether you really need those items, experts say.
- Identify spending triggers. Is it stress? Loneliness? Boredom? Social media scrolling? Identify the pattern so you can break it.
- Build fun money into your budget. When spending isn’t completely forbidden, it loses its emotional charge.
- Assign your money a task. Before every purchase, Dunlap suggests asking: “What job do I want this money to do for me?”