I didnāt realize it, but my inbox was silently draining my bank account. Every day, Iād get dozens of promotional emailsāflash sales, ālast chanceā offers, and discounts that made me feel like Iād miss out if I didnāt buy something right now. And guess what? I almost always clicked. A cute top for 20% off, a candle that I didnāt need, kitchen gadgets Iād never useā¦
By the end of the month, Iād look at my bank account and wonder, āWhere did all my money go?ā The answer was right thereāthose marketing emails were tricking me into spending on things I never even planned to buy.
So, I did something bold (and surprisingly freeing): I unsubscribed. Not from one or two newslettersābut from almost all of them. And in just 3 months, I saved over $600 without even trying. Hereās how you can do it too.
No more temptation: If you donāt see the sale, you wonāt feel the need to shop.
Impulse spending drops: Those ālimited-timeā emails create a false sense of urgency. Without them, you buy only when you truly need something.
You feel calmer: Honestly, clearing my inbox of constant āBuy now!ā reminders gave me a sense of peace I didnāt expect.
One night, I sat down with a cup of tea and looked at every email Iād received that week. Out of 50+ emails, only 5 were actually useful (like personal or work emails). The rest? Pure temptation.
If you check your inbox right now, I guarantee youāll find at least 10 brands trying to get you to āshop the sale.ā
I went through each promotional email and unsubscribed without guilt.
Didnāt matter if it was my favorite clothing brand or a store I hadnāt bought from in yearsāif it made me want to spend unnecessarily, it had to go.
I even used tools like Unroll.Me to batch unsubscribe from multiple lists at once.
The result? My inbox went from overwhelming chaos to clean and peaceful.
I didnāt unsubscribe from every emailājust the ones that made me impulse-shop.
I kept newsletters that gave me valuable tips, recipes, or personal growth content.
I also kept notifications for bills, bank alerts, and important subscriptions (like my libraryās eBook service).
Instead of clicking āBuy Nowā during sales, I created a folder on my phone called āThings I Want.ā Whenever I see something cute online, I save it there and wait a week before deciding.
80% of the time, I forget about it.
20% of the time, I buy itābut only if it truly fits my needs and budget.
In just 3 months, I realized I had saved $600+ by avoiding those ārandomā purchases. Thatās money I redirected toward my emergency fund and a weekend getaway Iād been dreaming about.
I also turned off shopping notifications on my phone. No more āYour favorite store is having a sale!ā pop-ups. The silence? Blissful.
After I unsubscribed from all those marketing emails, I noticed something surprisingāmy mindset about money started to shift. I wasnāt constantly bombarded with ālimited-timeā deals, so I could actually think about what I truly wanted versus what I was being sold. But letās be realātemptation still sneaks in sometimes, especially with social media ads. Thatās when I started using these psychological tricks to stay on track and keep saving.
This one rule alone has saved me hundreds of dollars.
Whenever I feel the urge to buy something online, I pause for 24 hours before making the purchase.
Most of the time, that āI need it right nowā feeling fades away, and I realize I didnāt need it after all.
Itās shocking how many impulse buys you can avoid with just one day of patience.
Marketers make buying as easy as one click for a reason. To fight this, I removed saved cards from all online stores and turned off one-click purchases.
If I really want something, I have to manually type in my card details. That little friction gives me time to think: āDo I really need this?ā
7 out of 10 times, I end up closing the tab.
The biggest fear when unsubscribing from emails is that youāll miss a big sale, right? Hereās the truth:
There will always be another sale.
If you donāt need the item right now, a future deal will pop up again.
I keep a note on my phone that says:
āIām not missing out, Iām gaining freedom.ā
Reading this whenever FOMO kicks in helps me remember my bigger goals.
When youāre constantly exposed to new products, itās easy to forget how much you already have.
Once a month, I go through my closet or kitchen and rediscover things I havenāt used in ages.
Sometimes, I even make a mini challenge: āCan I create 3 new outfits with what I have?ā
Not only does this save me money, but it also makes me appreciate what I already own.
Hereās a fun twist: Every time I resist buying something I donāt need, I transfer that money to a savings jar or account.
Skipped a $20 impulse buy? That $20 goes straight into savings.
By the end of the month, Iāve often saved $100ā$150 extra just by avoiding unnecessary purchases.
I started a simple tracker on my phone where I log every āunspentā dollar (like, āDidnāt buy that $35 topā$35 saved!ā).
Seeing those numbers grow is weirdly satisfying and keeps me motivated to keep going.
Letās be honestāhalf the reason we buy things is because we see them in someoneās Instagram story or TikTok haul.
I muted a few accounts that constantly made me want to shop.
I also set a 15-minute daily limit for browsing social apps.
The result? Less comparison, fewer impulses, and more peace of mind.
Saving money doesnāt mean never spending. It means spending intentionally.
I now have a tiny fun budgetāabout $20ā$30 a month for little things I love, like a cute mug or a cozy candle.
This small allowance actually keeps me from splurging big because I know I can have little joys guilt-free.
Unsubscribing wasnāt just about saving moneyāit was about regaining control.
I used that $600 to start a small emergency fund, which gave me a sense of security Iād never felt before.
I also treated myself to a weekend getawayāpaid for entirely by money I would have wasted.
Now, I donāt feel trapped by sales emails or fake ādeals.ā I feel free.
Pick 5 marketing emails in your inbox and unsubscribe right now.
Set a small goalālike saving $100 from avoided impulse buys this month.
Celebrate your first win (maybe with a cozy coffee date using money you didnāt waste).
Youāll be amazed at how much lighter and more empowered you feel.