For many in the UK this week – we get it, it’s hot. So unbearably hot that you just want to rip your clothes off and jump in a cool pool. But what if you’re working from home in an apartment in Central London or a terraced house in the North East?
Many of us may not have the luxury to pay or spend our way through a UK heatwave.
Except, influencers and celebrities are telling us we can. Here’s the latest ‘it girl’ shopping list we’re being exposed to.
Shark Chill Pill £129
Air conditioning unit £300-£600
Ninja Creami £160
Boujee paddling pools with extras £400
Each being promoted by our favourite online personalities with a handy affiliate link, meaning not only is the person in question being gifted it for free, they are also making money from how many sales they get. Helpfully each time a link gets shared from Amazon, supply and demand pricing kicks in to capitalise on their followers’ urgency.
You know we give it to you straight here at Financielle.
We empathise with the spending flurry that comes with a change in the weather. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel comfortable and cool, we just need to make sure we’re funding it in the right way.
Here are our top tips to stay in control when the weather feels anything but.
- 48 hour rule
If you find yourself being triggered to spend impulsively during the heatwave, we want you to follow the 48 hour rule. This means making a note of what you want to buy and sitting on it for 48 hours. Once you revisit the list, it’s highly unlikely that you won’t want to buy the thing your past self was lusting over. Yes – the weather may have passed, but it also may well return so at least you’ll be prepared.
- Impulsive spending pot
If you like to budget but also like the dopamine hit of spending impulsively, you can have the best of both worlds and accommodate both. Create an impulsive spending pot in your budget, that way you have permission to spend in the moment but without derailing your spending for the month.
Read – A budget is permission to spend here
- No scroll day challenge
It’s easy to get caught up in your influencer way of living with a doom scroll, but for the majority of us it isn’t reflective of real life. We need to remember that content is purely a highlight reel of someone’s life. The easiest way to overcome the spending is removing the temptation and triggers that could mean unfollowing across social accounts or unsubscribing from brands emails that are constantly pushing products.
No judgment on the aircon units or the fans – anything that will help you feel more comfortable is great. This is especially true of those who may be more vulnerable to the heat extremes. There are lots of helpful tips on how to keep cool for less from The Energy Savings Trust here.
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