If you’ve ever blacked out and woken up with a $36 Stanley cup in your cart, congratulations—you are human. Welcome to the club. We meet online. Frequently. Usually during sales.

Impulse buying isn’t about stupidity. It’s about psychology. And unless you want to live in a cave eating expired lentils, you’ll probably always spend money on something you didn’t strictly plan for.

But here’s the thing: not all impulse buys are bad. Some are low-cost upgrades that spark daily joy. Others? Quiet financial sabotage disguised as “self-care.”

Enter: The $10 Rule. A simple mental filter that helps you stop the nonsense—and keep the good stuff.

What Is the $10 Rule?

It’s not about only buying things under $10. (Nice try. That ship sailed in 2003.) It’s a two-part question you ask yourself before buying something:

1. Would I still want this if it cost $10 more?
2. Would I still want this if it only gave me $10 of happiness?

That’s it. It’s not a trap. It’s just a way to check yourself before you wreck your checking account.

Why This Rule Works

Let’s get nerdy for a second. Impulse buying is driven by a part of your brain that LOVES quick rewards and HATES math. It’s the same part that thinks “fries now” is a good long-term strategy. (It is not.)

But when you add a pause—even a fake one like “what if it cost $10 more?”—you activate the decision-making part of your brain. The adultier adult, if you will.

This tiny bit of friction slows the dopamine train. And if you’ve read Why Friction-Free Spending Is Destroying Your Financial Goals, you know: slowing down is half the battle.

How to Use the $10 Rule in Real Life

Let’s test it out:

Scenario: You’re on TikTok and someone is screaming (with perfect skin) about a matcha whisk that changed their life.

• The listing price is $24.99.
• You have matcha once a month. Maybe.

Now apply the $10 Rule:

• Would I still want this if it cost $34.99? Nope. That’s almost “real kitchen appliance” territory.
• Will this bring me at least $10 worth of joy or usefulness? Probably not. You’ll use it once, then it’ll live next to your unused spiralizer.

Verdict: Pass. Let it go, Elsa.

But What If It’s On Sale?

Ah, the siren song of “25% off ends tonight!” It’s like retailers know our brains can’t resist fake urgency. (Because they do. They literally run A/B tests on your willpower.)

Here’s the kicker: if a product only feels worth it because it’s discounted, it’s probably not worth it.

Apply the same $10 rule to the original price—not the sale price. That kills most of the “I bought this because it was cheap” regret purchases.

Where the Rule Really Shines: Lifestyle Creep

Sometimes it’s not the $30 impulse buys that get you. It’s the slow “upgrades” that quietly double your lifestyle costs over time. Fancy detergent. Better desk chair. Swapping Target for Anthropologie because you got a raise and now you “deserve it.”

This is lifestyle creep. And it’s sneaky. You won’t notice it until your monthly expenses have grown a tail and teeth.

Use the $10 Rule before upgrading anything that already “works fine.” If the improvement wouldn’t give you at least $10 of actual impact each month, skip it—or wait.

Mini Case Study: The “Better” Blender

Your current blender is fine. It blends. It sounds like a jet engine. But you see this sleek one online with 3 modes and a smoothie button. It’s $120 on sale.

You ask:

• Would I still want it at $130? $140?
• Will it give me $10/month in extra value—less cleanup, more smoothies, less swearing?

If the answer’s yes, great! That’s a Smart Splurge.

If the answer is “well, I might use it more once I own it,” that’s called a lie. Your brain is gaslighting you with hopeful math.

Use It for Subscriptions, Too

That $7.99 app? It’s not about the price. It’s about value. If it delivers less than $10 of usefulness or joy each month, cancel it.

Honestly, try this with everything on your credit card statement. Even your gym. (Gasp!) If you’re paying $65/mo to occasionally sit on the rowing machine and scroll Instagram, maybe it’s time to reevaluate.

Pair the $10 Rule With Automation

If you’ve been impulse-buying stuff that doesn’t even deserve a box, try automating savings instead. That same dopamine hit you get from spending? You can hack it into saving.

Set up a free Chime account (yes, they’ll give you $100 for signing up) and let the round-up feature turn your “almost buys” into tiny savings wins.

Trust me: Watching your savings grow is way more satisfying than watching your fourth water bottle collect dust.

The $10 Rule’s Evil Twin: The “I Deserve It” Excuse

Look, I’m not saying you don’t deserve nice things. I’m saying the phrase “I deserve it” usually shows up when your brain is trying to skip logic and go straight to dopamine. (Hi again, TikTok skincare haul.)

Instead, try this reframe: “I deserve a life I don’t have to stress about.” That includes spending wisely, delaying gratification, and occasionally passing on a cute but pointless impulse buy.

When to Break the Rule

Rules are tools, not prisons. Break the $10 Rule when:

• It’s a one-time purchase that solves a recurring problem
• It brings you daily joy (not just opening-the-box joy)
• You’ve planned for it in advance and it aligns with your values

The key is intention. If you’re choosing the spend—not just reacting to a sale banner or emotional void—go for it.

Final Thought: Buy Less, Regret Less

The $10 Rule won’t make you rich overnight. But it will help you:

• Catch low-value purchases before they pile up
• Train your brain to think in value, not just price
• Design a spending life you actually like—without feeling broke or restricted

It’s not about deprivation. It’s about direction.

And if you can keep your money and your serotonin? That’s the real impulse win.