Is there a shopping cart Firefox add-in?
January 1, 2009 8:40 AM Subscribe
Resolution Filter. I'd like to have a Firefox add-in that will help me stop impulse buying. Does anyone know of a shopping cart tool that will help me wait 24 hours before buying something? Perks would include not being tied to any particular e-commerce site or wish list and have an easy to use interface (this is all the stuff you liked yesterday on one page.) Thanks!
I can't help you, but I think it's a brilliant, brilliant idea and if it doesn't yet exist, I would beg some of the clever folks here to create one.
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:06 AM on January 1, 2009
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:06 AM on January 1, 2009
You could implement it based on browser history: if you've visited the site within the last n hours, then you cannot go to the checkout page.
posted by zippy at 9:16 AM on January 1, 2009
posted by zippy at 9:16 AM on January 1, 2009
1) Limit your online purchases to a single credit card (or perhaps have only one credit card).
2) Get a watertight small plastic container.
3) Put the card in the container in another container of water; something like a durable plastic cup will work.
4) Put the plastic cup in the freezer
Next time you go to buy something online, you'll have to thaw the block of ice to get to the card.
Of course this doesn't work with "saved" credit card numbers at e-commerce sites; I suppose you could choose not to have a site not remember your credit card number.
posted by mrbarrett.com at 9:20 AM on January 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
2) Get a watertight small plastic container.
3) Put the card in the container in another container of water; something like a durable plastic cup will work.
4) Put the plastic cup in the freezer
Next time you go to buy something online, you'll have to thaw the block of ice to get to the card.
Of course this doesn't work with "saved" credit card numbers at e-commerce sites; I suppose you could choose not to have a site not remember your credit card number.
posted by mrbarrett.com at 9:20 AM on January 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
There is a service called Kaboodle ( http://www.kaboodle.com ) that is essentially social network based around sharing shopping/wish lists. They have a firefox plugin that puts an icon right on your navigation bar (see here: http://www.kaboodle.com/zd/help/getStarted.html ) It works on any site so you aren't tied to the wishlist system at Amazon or NewEgg, etc.
Essentially you could tag an item in Kaboodle as a potential purchase and after a set period of time like 24-48 hours, look over the list and decide if it was something you really wanted.
The technique isn't essentially that different from just saving the link and visiting the site again but it is much more visual and faster than visiting individual sites since you'll be reviewing your list of potential purchases with photos and at a glance.
Does that sort of fit what you were looking for?
posted by JFitzpatrick at 10:39 AM on January 1, 2009
Essentially you could tag an item in Kaboodle as a potential purchase and after a set period of time like 24-48 hours, look over the list and decide if it was something you really wanted.
The technique isn't essentially that different from just saving the link and visiting the site again but it is much more visual and faster than visiting individual sites since you'll be reviewing your list of potential purchases with photos and at a glance.
Does that sort of fit what you were looking for?
posted by JFitzpatrick at 10:39 AM on January 1, 2009
The problem with this idea is that you could always impulsively un-install such a plugin.
It's better to put your discretionary savings in an account that you don't have a credit card to access. For example, if I want to use money from my savings account, I either need to transfer the money to my checking account (at another bank, which takes 3 business days), or write a check (which I'm obviously not going to do for an online purchase).
It's just enough of a headache that I need to really really want something in order to go through the hassle.
posted by mpls2 at 11:14 AM on January 1, 2009
It's better to put your discretionary savings in an account that you don't have a credit card to access. For example, if I want to use money from my savings account, I either need to transfer the money to my checking account (at another bank, which takes 3 business days), or write a check (which I'm obviously not going to do for an online purchase).
It's just enough of a headache that I need to really really want something in order to go through the hassle.
posted by mpls2 at 11:14 AM on January 1, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks all for you ideas about ways to not spend and to hide money, but what I really need is an easy to use add-on for Firefox.
I did use Kaboodle for my baby registry, but the site lost all my items twice. :( I also didn't like the lack of sorting features.
posted by k8t at 11:21 AM on January 1, 2009
I did use Kaboodle for my baby registry, but the site lost all my items twice. :( I also didn't like the lack of sorting features.
posted by k8t at 11:21 AM on January 1, 2009
Response by poster: PS, I have a new baby and live in a place lacking in stores, so online shipping is required. I already have a discretionary only account.
posted by k8t at 11:24 AM on January 1, 2009
posted by k8t at 11:24 AM on January 1, 2009
What if you disabled SSL in your browser? That would allow you to browse sites but you wouldn't be able to log in to buy. I'm not sure how much of a barrier re-enabling SSL would be, but it's something.
posted by COD at 12:49 PM on January 1, 2009
posted by COD at 12:49 PM on January 1, 2009
I use Delicious a lot already, so I would use my browser buttons to bookmark items on Delicious and tag them with dates, colors, prices, etc. Then I could visit my bookmarks for later shopping, look at the tag pages for any of those facets, delete items I no longer wanted, share lists with friends, etc. It isn't a specialized solution, but it wouldn't lose your items.
posted by dreamyshade at 3:23 PM on January 1, 2009
posted by dreamyshade at 3:23 PM on January 1, 2009
I really would like to help you, but I don't think a technological solution is the right way to go. You need some cognitive therapy, perhaps, or at the very least to read a Suze Orman book or something of that order. There's a reason you're impulse shopping in the first place, and you need to address that. Why has this become a problem for you? Are you in serious debt?
posted by dhartung at 9:08 PM on January 1, 2009
posted by dhartung at 9:08 PM on January 1, 2009
Response by poster: Dhartung, as I have written above, I am not looking for advice of that nature.
I am financially responsible, this is only disposable income (generated from eBay sales and extra job), and I have read all sorts of books and blogs. What am I buying impulsively? Good deals on baby toys or clothes that we don't really need, but we MIGHT need. Like, baby is teething, so I looking for teething remedies on Amazon rather than trying to figure out what we currently have (like freezing a washcloth). It is really not that big of a deal, but I'd like to be more resourceful at home.
posted by k8t at 7:02 PM on January 3, 2009
I am financially responsible, this is only disposable income (generated from eBay sales and extra job), and I have read all sorts of books and blogs. What am I buying impulsively? Good deals on baby toys or clothes that we don't really need, but we MIGHT need. Like, baby is teething, so I looking for teething remedies on Amazon rather than trying to figure out what we currently have (like freezing a washcloth). It is really not that big of a deal, but I'd like to be more resourceful at home.
posted by k8t at 7:02 PM on January 3, 2009
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posted by k8t at 8:40 AM on January 1, 2009