It’s a Sunday night, you’re in bed doom-scrolling through TikTok, and you come across someone wearing a dress that you could totally see yourself in.

Or maybe it's a kitchen gadget that will ‘change your life’ (guilty!) 

Or a new piece of home decor that works perfectly with your coffee table.

Before you know it, you’re clicking through links to find the product, adding to cart and waiting for it to arrive at your doorstep.

Buuttttt by the time your exciting new find actually arrives, you’ve seen it 45 other times on three different social platforms, and you’re already over it.

Now, there’s a new exciting trend that’s caught your eye.

Welcome to the unending cycle of micro-trends.

What’s a micro-trend?

Trends have been for millennia, from the big wigs of ancient Egypt to the viral Uniqlo sweaters. 

Generally trend cycles operated in five stages: introduction, rise, peak, decline, and obsolescence. 

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And they could last between 3 years for a small trend to 20 years for a major trend.

Butttt with social media and rampant fast fashion, trends go through the five stages much faster, and a new trend can come and go in a matter of months, if not weeks.

New trends go viral and tap into our psychological triggers, tempting us to buy into them again, and again, and again.

Which can lead us to making a number of poor decisions, and make it really difficult to stay on track with financial goals.

In fact, 15% of Australians have gone into debt or spent more than they can afford because of pressure to spend.

So let's look at ways to stop letting trends rule our finances.‍

1. Just hold off for a day

Social media makes impulse spending incredibly easy, which is as much a blessing as it is a curse.

To stop yourself from making purchases you’ll regret or purchases that aren’t really adding to yourself, set a 24 hour waiting period on your online purchases.

Add your items to your cart and then make yourself wait at least 24 hours before you actually spend.

That 24 hours will give you some time to reassess whether you’re actually spending on something worthwhile.

2. Embrace trends in a budget-conscious way

You don’t have to stop yourself from buying the things you like in order to be financially savvy about your spending.

There are always creative ways you can engage with trends that speak to you without jumping onto a new one every few weeks.

Think: thrifting or using rental services for fashion trends.

3. Set yourself a splurge limit

The 50/30/20 budgeting rule is really handy if curbing spending is high on your priority list. 

You’re far less likely to overspend on micro trends if you’ve set a splurge limit for yourself.

It also means you’ll naturally find yourself being more selective with what you choose to spend your money on because there’s a tangible limit.

4. Press that unfollow button

Despite all the measures you put in place, it’s hard to stop caring when you’re being bombarded with the latest micro trend every time you open your phone.

Making healthier financial choices starts with healthier consumption - in this case, social media consumption.

A detox of your social media could go a long way in reestablishing your relationship with micro trends. 

Are there accounts you follow that are making it harder for you to stick to your financial goals?

As a starting point, mute or unfollow five social media accounts that you think trigger your impulse buying.

Micro trends play on our internal psychological triggers, so it’s not worth beating ourselves up over giving into impulse spending.

Instead, beating the temptation and unending cycle of micro trends starts with recognising our triggers, and putting barriers in place to keep ourselves on track with our goals.