By Lena Vasquez, Community Features & Culture Editor

Growing your wealth doesn’t have to be hard or require depriving yourself of things you truly want. Here’s an easy hack for saving money that lets you still buy what you want (as long as you can afford it) but waste a lot less money too.

You’ve heard of “buy now, pay later.” How about giving something new a try? I call it, “buy later, pay later.”

The idea is simple. When you’re out shopping and something catches your eye that you hadn’t planned on buying, you don’t buy it right then. You give yourself permission to come back for it later if you still want it.

You don’t need to overthink it. Just give it a little time. Ideally at least 24 hours.

Most impulse purchases don’t come from real need. They come from the moment. The lighting in the store, the way it’s displayed, the mood you’re in, or even just boredom. Retail environments are designed to make things feel urgent and appealing. “Grab it now” is the whole game because they know if you leave, you probably won’t come back.

Because when you step outside that moment, the emotional pull fades.

You leave the store, get back to your routine, and nine times out of ten, you forget about the item entirely. Or maybe you remember it and realize you don’t actually want it that bad.

That’s the win.

And on the rare occasion you do keep thinking about it? That’s when you go back and buy it. Without the haze of impulse, it’s a conscious decision and not a reaction. You’re buying it because you’ve thought it through, not because it caught you off guard. Nobody’s saying you should never spend any money ever. Just spend consciously and not in reaction to a store’s marketing tactics.

Over time, this habit does two things. First, it naturally cuts down on unnecessary spending without making you feel restricted. Second, it builds a sense of control. You’re not saying “no” to everything. You’re just saying “not right now.”

That difference matters.

A lot of financial advice leans hard into discipline and denial, but most people don’t stick with systems that feel like punishment. “Buy later, pay later” works because it doesn’t ask you to give things up. It just asks you to pause.

And sometimes, that pause is all it takes to realize you didn’t need it in the first place.