An Easy Trick for Cutting Down on Junk Food Purchases...

What's the trick? Pay with cash, not credit or debit. 

In a new study, published in the Journal of Consumer Report- “We found people had a larger proportion of unhealthy food items in their baskets when they paid by either credit card or debit card, compared to when they paid in cash," he says. This happens only with "vice" products, like cheesecake, cookies, and ice cream -- not yogurt, oatmeal or bread. For "healthy" products, he says, people spent the same amount, cash or credit.”

There are two distinct types of purchasing decisions, and most people don't realize that. For example - the way I make a decision to buy a cookies (my vice) is altogether different than the way I make a decision to buy oatmeal. I'm not aware of it, but in my mind, the process is very different. If I buy oatmeal, I'm thinking, 'What is the price of it, do I have more at home in my pantry, which brand is healthier?' It's very deliberate, and my decision is governed more by my thought process.

"But when I'm buying a cookies it's less deliberate, and it's also an interplay of how I feel about that product. I stand there, I think, 'How will I feel eating those cookies? Well, should I or shouldn’t I?' Sometimes you think less about it and succumb to your feeling.When you know you pay in cash, you become less susceptible to impulses and all purchase decisions are not categorized by the same process."

I totally agree with this study!!