10 Things To Stop Buying If You Want To Hit Your Financial Goals This Year

Have you ever checked your bank balance and felt personally betrayed by it? Like… I know I got paid. We were just together.

This isn’t about being bad with money. Most times, it’s about quiet spending. The kind that slips through your fingers in small, justifiable pieces until your goals start looking far away and slightly embarrassing.

This list isn’t about punishment. Or becoming a monk. Or never enjoying life again. It’s about about stopping the leaks and choosing your future self over impulse versions of you that shop when they’re tired, bored, or scrolling.

We all have a fantasy version of ourselves. She attends cocktail parties. He travels every other weekend. They wear tailored outfits and live in a place with mood lighting. And so we tend to buy for that person. Especially these days when we have a million moodboards.

The problem? That life exists mostly in our heads and occasionally on Pinterest. Buying clothes for a lifestyle you don’t regularly live is one of the fastest ways to waste money without realising it. Those outfits sit there. Waiting. Judging you quietly.

Buy for the life you wake up to most days. The errands. The workdays. The real events you actually attend. You can still own one “someday” outfit. Just not ten.

Trends move fast. Blink, and it’s over. And somehow, your card got charged in the process.

Before buying anything trendy, ask yourself one honest question: Would I still want this if nobody was talking about it? If the answer is no, pause.

Dupes fall into the same trap. Yes, it’s cheaper. But cheaper doesn’t mean useful. Or durable. Or even satisfying. Buying things you don’t truly like just because they’re trending keeps you in a cycle of constant replacing and constant spending.

Trends expire. Your goals shouldn’t.

Sales make us reckless. Suddenly, you own five of the same product you barely finish once a year.

Most beauty and skincare items take forever to use up. By the time you get to the backups, they’re expired, smell weird, or you’ve moved on emotionally.

There will always be another sale. Always. Finish what you have. Then buy the next one. Your shelves and your wallet will thank you.

Takeout is not the enemy, but default takeout can be.

Delivery fees, service charges, and tips add up fast, especially when it becomes your automatic response to fatigue.

The fix isn’t cooking elaborate meals every night. It’s having two or three “I’m exhausted” meals ready. Something simple. Something fast. Something that keeps you from spending money you didn’t plan to spend.

Make takeout a choice. Not a reflex.

READ ALSO: "Good With Money" Showed Me a Gentler Path to My Finances

This one hurts because it’s sneaky.

Streaming platforms. Boxes. Apps. Tools. All charging you monthly for things you barely use, or don’t even remember.

Three thousand naira here. Five thousand naira there. It feels harmless until you realise how much you’re paying yearly for convenience you’re not enjoying.

Audit your subscriptions. Cancel ruthlessly. If it’s not actively adding value, it doesn’t get to stay.

Buying storage bins before decluttering is a scam. A very aesthetic one, but still a scam.

Decorating without a clear plan leads to piles of items you don’t know where to put. Or how to use. Or why you bought them in the first place.

Declutter first, then decide what you’re actually organising, and buy intentionally. Home stores are dangerous when you walk in without direction.

Buying books and reading books are two very different hobbies.

If your shelf is full of unread titles, adding more doesn’t make you more productive. It just adds pressure.

Buy one book. Read it. Then buy the next. Or use the library. Or download free e-books. Let reading be a habit you do, not just an object you collect.

Buying things out of exhaustion, guilt, or emotional fatigue adds up quickly.

A toy here. A “small something” there. It feels easier in the moment. But it becomes a habit, one that teaches expectation and drains money quietly.

Not every tired moment needs a purchase. Sometimes it just needs time, presence, or rest. Those cost less and mean more.

A discount doesn’t make something necessary.

Before buying anything on sale, ask: Would I buy this at full price? If the answer is no, the sale isn’t saving you money; it’s just convincing you to spend it.

Sales should support your plan, and not dictate it. 

READ ALSO: The Emotional Patterns Behind How You Earn, Spend, and Save

Journals. Planners. Apps. Notebooks. All those things promising to fix your life. The truth? One tool you actually use beats five you abandon after a week.

Before buying something new, try what you already own. Finish a notebook. Commit to one system. Productivity doesn’t come from accumulation; it comes from consistency.

This isn’t about never spending money again. It’s about spending it on purpose.

Small, everyday purchases feel harmless. But over time, they decide whether you’re stuck or moving forward. Whether your goals feel distant or doable.

Look at your recent spending. Be honest. Pick one thing to stop buying, for now. That’s how momentum starts.