I didnât realize it, but my inbox was silently draining my bank account. Every day, Iâd get dozens of promotional emailsâflash sales, âlast chanceâ offers, and discounts that made me feel like Iâd miss out if I didnât buy something right now. And guess what? I almost always clicked. A cute top for 20% off, a candle that I didnât need, kitchen gadgets Iâd never useâŠ
By the end of the month, Iâd look at my bank account and wonder, âWhere did all my money go?â The answer was right thereâthose 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 newslettersâbut from almost all of them. And in just 3 months, I saved over $600 without even trying. Hereâs how you can do it too.
No more temptation: If you donât see the sale, you wonât feel the need to shop.
Impulse spending drops: Those âlimited-timeâ 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 âBuy now!â reminders gave me a sense of peace I didnât expect.
One night, I sat down with a cup of tea and looked at every email Iâd 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 youâll find at least 10 brands trying to get you to âshop the sale.â
I went through each promotional email and unsubscribed without guilt.
Didnât matter if it was my favorite clothing brand or a store I hadnât bought from in yearsâif 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 didnât unsubscribe from every emailâjust 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 libraryâs eBook service).
Instead of clicking âBuy Nowâ during sales, I created a folder on my phone called âThings I Want.â 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 itâbut only if it truly fits my needs and budget.
In just 3 months, I realized I had saved $600+ by avoiding those ârandomâ purchases. Thatâs money I redirected toward my emergency fund and a weekend getaway Iâd been dreaming about.
I also turned off shopping notifications on my phone. No more âYour favorite store is having a sale!â pop-ups. The silence? Blissful.
After I unsubscribed from all those marketing emails, I noticed something surprisingâmy mindset about money started to shift. I wasnât constantly bombarded with âlimited-timeâ deals, so I could actually think about what I truly wanted versus what I was being sold. But letâs be realâtemptation still sneaks in sometimes, especially with social media ads. Thatâs 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 âI need it right nowâ feeling fades away, and I realize I didnât need it after all.
Itâs 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: âDo I really need this?â
7 out of 10 times, I end up closing the tab.
The biggest fear when unsubscribing from emails is that youâll miss a big sale, right? Hereâs the truth:
There will always be another sale.
If you donât need the item right now, a future deal will pop up again.
I keep a note on my phone that says:
âIâm not missing out, Iâm gaining freedom.â
Reading this whenever FOMO kicks in helps me remember my bigger goals.
When youâre constantly exposed to new products, itâs easy to forget how much you already have.
Once a month, I go through my closet or kitchen and rediscover things I havenât used in ages.
Sometimes, I even make a mini challenge: âCan I create 3 new outfits with what I have?â
Not only does this save me money, but it also makes me appreciate what I already own.
Hereâs a fun twist: Every time I resist buying something I donât 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, Iâve often saved $100â$150 extra just by avoiding unnecessary purchases.
I started a simple tracker on my phone where I log every âunspentâ dollar (like, âDidnât buy that $35 topâ$35 saved!â).
Seeing those numbers grow is weirdly satisfying and keeps me motivated to keep going.
Letâs be honestâhalf the reason we buy things is because we see them in someoneâs 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 doesnât mean never spending. It means spending intentionally.
I now have a tiny fun budgetâabout $20â$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 wasnât just about saving moneyâit was about regaining control.
I used that $600 to start a small emergency fund, which gave me a sense of security Iâd never felt before.
I also treated myself to a weekend getawayâpaid for entirely by money I would have wasted.
Now, I donât feel trapped by sales emails or fake âdeals.â I feel free.
Pick 5 marketing emails in your inbox and unsubscribe right now.
Set a small goalâlike saving $100 from avoided impulse buys this month.
Celebrate your first win (maybe with a cozy coffee date using money you didnât waste).
Youâll be amazed at how much lighter and more empowered you feel.
