Whoa! So, do you want to avoid overspending when shopping? Don’t drink coffee! I can’t believe I just typed that!!

From Science Daily:

If you’re trying to scale back on impulse purchases, then you may want to hold off on drinking that coffee. An international study led by the University of South Florida (USF) found that caffeine impacts what you buy and how much you spend when shopping.

The research team ran three experiments in retail stores — an industry that’s increasingly been adding coffee bars near their entrances. In their study published in the Journal of Marketing, they found that shoppers who drank a cup of complimentary caffeinated coffee prior to roaming the stores spent about 50 percent more money and bought nearly 30 percent more items than shoppers who drank decaf or water.

Since coffee is a stimulant and puts you in a higher energetic state, it has the effect of making you spend more when shopping. This also holds true for online shopping!

So, skip that complimentary coffee and save money!!