Guy fights impulsive shopping with the most unconventional hack — and it just works

Not everything we buy is a necessity; in fact, some of those are things we purchase impulsively without questioning if we truly need them. It's not a surface-level observation but something people have confessed to being obsessed with. According to Capital One Shopping Research, 36% of Americans said that the majority of purchases are usually unplanned, and 54% have spent at least $100 on an impulse buy. If you are also struggling to stop buying things impulsively, Kevim (@parentsdisgrace) might be your go-to inspiration.

So every time Kevim wants to buy something that he knows isn't a necessity, he records himself saying it. Reason? Well, he says he watches himself say the things he wants to buy, and it helps him decide against spending money on unnecessary items. DVD of "The Holdovers," Pokémon cards, Pretzel Dog, memory foam pillow, big Slushie, and cobbler service for Birkenstocks were some of the things Kevim had recorded himself saying. He admitted that the cool budgeting hack works for him and wrote, "So far, this has worked embarrassingly well, and I dislike all the things I enjoy," in the video caption. Kevim's video, posted on July 21, 2025, went viral with over a million views online. While some people praised his idea and looked forward to trying it themselves, others convinced him to buy certain things he had mentioned in his video. 

For instance, @zapz.a commented, "Bro, please just get the pretzel dog. I won’t judge." @leavemeeeeeealone also tried to convince Kevim and said, "You said pretzel dog twice, so I encourage you to get it." @frijoles69 joked, "I thought this was a good idea, but then realized I don't even have the money in the first place." @ayutism shared, "For me, it's writing down things I want to buy but don't need and calling it my wish list." @kyle commented, "I love the idea of posting this and then letting the comments decide what you can buy." However, @madelyn.wells, who didn't think the hack would work for her, said, "Nah, because I would end up using this as my shopping list and go back through it the next time I got paid!"

Well, isn't it something most of us do? We even keep a track of the items in our shopping cart and wait for their price to fall. Emphasizing this, the study found that 72% of online shoppers have impulsively bought an item because of an advertised discount. @mase confessed, "I just take pictures of things I want to buy and then mourn them forever in my camera roll." @dinaswurld wrote, "Ok, this is so smart, and also when you’re out at a store and see something you want, take a pic of it instead of just immediately buying… If I am still fixated on it months later, maybe it's actually worth it!"

You can follow Kevim (@parentsdisgrace) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.

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