I asked ChatGPT to stop me buying things I dont need, and it was brutally helpful I just wish I'd thought of it sooner

Date:
Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:47:11 +0000

Description:
The best way ChatGPT can save you money is by talking you out of making rash buying decisions.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The problem with online
shopping is that it makes it far too easy to buy pretty much anything,
without properly considering whether you really need it. I started to wonder if ChatGPT could help me make better decisions, by questioning every purchase I was going to make, before I made it.

To test ChatGPTs ability to stop me wasting money, I picked four tempting purchases and asked ChatGPT to argue against each one. It had to check the price history, suggest cheaper alternatives, and decide whether the purchase solved a real problem, or if I was just scratching an itch to buy. Here's how ChatGPT did and the results surprised me. GPT before you buy Did you know TechRadar now has membership? (Image credit: Future) Become a TechRadar Insider by simply clicking 'Join Now' at the top of this page. Have a question? Please email membership@techradar.com I started with a tech gadget
I was thinking of buying an Apple MacBook M5 and went to ChatGPT with the following prompt: I'm thinking of buying an Apple MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop M5 chip. Help me check the price history, suggest cheaper alternatives and decide whether the purchase solves a real problem." Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

ChatGPT said it would check current pricing and recent lows, compare
genuinely cheaper options, then pressure-test whether the purchase replaced a real limitation, or was mostly me trying to satisfy an upgrade itch, and off it went.

After a lot of thinking, ChatGPT replied with a devastating verdict that made me pull back from hitting the 'Buy' button: Dont buy the M5 MacBook Air yet. You may like I asked AI for financial advice on everyday money decisions I
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It suggested I get the previous M4 version instead, which is considerably cheaper, which didn't hugely surprise me. Then it gave me some questions to ask myself, in order to work out if buying a new MacBook was actually solving a real problem, or if I was just satisfying a buying itch.

Questions like, Does your existing Mac have noticeable slowdowns? It
suggested I shouldnt buy a new machine if my main argument was simply that my current Mac was a few generations old.bChatGPT also gave me some buying options if I was determined to go through with a purchase. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The most useful advice here wasnt the cheaper recommendation it was being forced to identify the exact limitation my current MacBook was causing me. I couldnt, so I decided to keep it until I could. Then I hit on a simple phrase that could potentially work even better "Try to talk me out of it". Talk me out of it I repeated the experiment with a few other items Id been thinking
of buying recently. An item of clothing (new trainers), a subscription (Disney+), and a kitchen thing (a new microwave). But this time I added "Try to talk me out of it" at the end of each prompt.

In each case, Chat surprised me with its answer, provided alternatives, and made me question whether I genuinely wanted the item, or if there was something else driving my decision. What to read next I gave ChatGPT 7 extra words and the answers instantly got better I asked ChatGPT to change my mind about something I strongly believed I tried replacing 30 minutes of doomscrolling with real-world challenges

With the trainers, it pointed out that I already owned shoes that served the same purpose, and suggested waiting until those wore out. For Disney+, it recommended subscribing for a single month when there were several things I actually wanted to watch. The microwave was different because our existing one had a genuine fault, ChatGPT concluded that replacing it was justified.

The experiment worked because it helped me mentally reframe each purchase. Instead of asking whether I wanted something, I had to consider what problem it solved, what I already owned, and whether there was a cheaper way to get the same result.

Online shopping is designed to remove as much friction as possible from spending money. ChatGPT gave me some of that friction back. So now, whenever Im about to spend a few hundred pounds, or a few thousand, I ask it the same question: Talk me out of it. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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