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I’m sure you know the feeling: You’re casually scrolling TikTok, or maybe bopping around a store, and suddenly you’re adding items to your cart left and right. It’s hard to resist that impulse to purchase that latest fashion trend, college dorm gadget you didn’t know you needed, or just another must-have beauty product. But before you even have time to think, those purchases add up, big time, leaving you with buyer’s remorse and a dwindling bank account. 

But what if there was a way to satisfy that urge to shop without actually spending your money right away? Well, thanks to a viral TikTok video, shoppers are learning about a new hack that’s changing the way people shop. TikTok creator and host of the I’m On Your Side podcast @averagesisi, known IRL as Sierra Boudreaux, shared a shopping method that helps curb impulsive spending and rewards you for making smart choices. It’s a perfect hack for anyone who loves shopping but wants to avoid the guilt of overspending.

In her TikTok video shared on July 22, Boudreaux introduces a simple yet effective way to save money using nothing more than your phone’s Notes app. All you have to do is, instead of buying something the moment you see it, just add it to your Notes app, including the date you saw it and how much it costs. Then, at the end of every month, you add up the cost of every item you put in your list, put half of that total into your savings account, and you can spend the rest of what you have left over — either on some of the items you put on that list, or something totally different. 

@averagesisi

Hot girls are financially mindful, no matter how much or little money we have!! #savingmoney #creditcarddebt #greenscreen

♬ original sound – Sierra

“This is how we’re going to save money and also get that dopamine hit,” Boudreaux says in her video explaining the hack. “Because oftentimes we don’t really want the thing — we want the dopamine we’ve attached to it.”

This hack hits different because it taps into the psychology of delayed gratification but in a doable way. Instead of impulse-buying for that quick sense of relief, this method makes you pause and think: Do I really need this, or am I just mindlessly purchasing? The key to this hack is the moment of reflection that comes with pausing and assessing why you want to buy the item, as well as the feeling of rewarding yourself for the money you saved.

I’m definitely guilty of getting sucked into HaulToks, and with the algorithm constantly feeding me ads and “must-have” videos, it’s easy to get hyped up and buy things I don’t even care about later. However, tracking your shopping impulses with the Notes app money hack can help you stay in control and make smarter choices. The best part? This hack doesn’t just stop you from spending; it rewards you, making it a win-win situation all around.

Starr Washington

San Francisco '25

Starr Washington is a Her Campus national writer, contributing to the lifestyle vertical, she also serves as the President of the Her Campus chapter at her university. In her final year at San Francisco State University, she is completing her degree in Broadcast Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) with a minor in Africana Studies. Starr is dedicated to showcasing her blackness in her professional work and is always rooting for black creatives, particularly in film, literature, and travel. In addition to her writing, Starr is the director of her university’s multicultural center, where she organizes and supports annual events and celebrations for both the campus and the Bay Area community. She was a speaker at the San Francisco State University Black Studies Origins and Legacy Commemoration, where she had the honor of sitting alongside the founders of the nation's first Black Student Union. Starr teaches a course she developed called “Intro to Black Love” within SFSU’s experimental college program. In her rare free time, Starr enjoys chipping away at her TBR list (she is a spicy romance girly), writing fiction, and spending time with her music enthusiast partner and their three-year-old German Shepherd. She is a Scorpio from Michigan.