Impulse Buying
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
Impulse buying is one of the fastest ways to blow a budget. For teens just learning to manage their money, impulse buys can be irresistible. Help young people, and especially young people with special needs, understand the psychology behind impulse buys and what they can do to avoid their pitfalls and stay on budget.
How to do the Lesson
Ask students to describe their last impulse purchase. List them on a chart or board and analyze if there are any common pitfalls that students fall into. If not, have students see if they succumb at any predictable times/places.
Pass out “Impulse Buying.” (Or, if more appropriate put it on a screen and read it aloud to students. Have students pay attention to the $281.75 most of us blow on impulse purchases each month. What might students buy with this money instead? What if they saved it for a year?
Complete the worksheet as a group or individually by creating a plan to avoid the traps of impulse purchases.
Extension: Plan a trip to the grocery store or mall and track all the tricks stores use to get you to make impulse buys. Are candy bars or technology accessories stacked at the register? What about chips or snacks on the endcaps? Are “sale” items (that aren’t really sales) front and center when you walk in? Have a scavenger-hunt like search for all the ways stores try to make you blow your budget with impulse buys.
For More Information
And, while the lessons in this blog can stand alone, they work best when paired with the Financial Literacy course from Susan Traugh’s Transition 2 Life curriculum. This one-semester course is offered in both a special education edition and a companion text for general education students. Find it here!
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