I Set These 3 Rules Before Walking Into Target. You Should, Too

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Love Target? Follow these rules to avoid overspending. 

During the second quarter of 2023, U.S. credit card balances rose by $45 billion, topping the $1 trillion mark. And my personal theory is that Target contributed heavily to that increase.

OK, I’m kidding. Clearly, we can’t point to a single retailer as a reason for U.S. credit card balances growing at such a rapid rate. A more likely culprit is inflation, which has been forcing consumers to spend more on essential needs, like groceries.

But if there’s one store that’s known to tempt consumers into busting their budgets, it’s Target. Among my circle of friends, there’s a joke that it’s impossible to walk out of Target with a tab of less than $100.

But actually, that joke isn’t so funny. A lot of people I know have not just credit card debt, but minimal cash in their savings accounts. And so they can’t afford to be blowing $100 or more at Target on a whim.

Thankfully, I don’t have credit card debt, and I do have savings. But I still don’t enjoy the feeling that comes with overspending at a store like Target. So before I visit, I set these three ground rules. And you may want to adopt them as well.

1. Have a reason to go

I’m in a strange boat in that my closest Target is a good 20 minutes away. But because of that, what I used to do was pop into Target any time I happened to already be in the area. That resulted in a fair amount of needless spending on my part.

These days, I’ll only go to Target if I have a specific reason to. Target-brand pants happen to fit my son really well. So when he needs a wardrobe refresh, I’ll head over. And while I’m there, I might grab some trail mix since my kids and I enjoy Target’s different blends. But I won’t go to Target just for snacks, because I can also buy trail mix at my regular supermarket.

2. Make a list

During periods like the holidays, I may have a host of different items I’m looking for at Target. That’s fine — but I need to shop with a list so I stay focused.

Sometimes, what I’ll do is check out sales for items like groceries and household essentials ahead of a visit. If Target has Bounty paper towels marked down, which are my go-to brand, then I’ll buy them there because it makes sense to do so. But either way, my rule is that I need to have a list that I’m sticking to.

3. Steer clear of aisles that don’t apply to my list

Target is filled with fun products that many of us, myself included, would love to bring home if they were free. But alas, they’re not. And so rather than open the door to temptation, one thing I now do at Target is only visit aisles that contain an item on my list. If I don’t need apparel or housewares, I don’t go looking at Target’s inventory so I’m not tempted to make extra purchases.

I also try my best to walk out of a given aisle once I’ve gotten my list item from it. For example, let’s say I’m buying trail mix. Once I have my container, I’ll try to force myself to exit the snack aisle so I’m not tempted to buy other goodies.

We can’t blame Target alone for Americans’ credit card debt problems, but the store has certainly contributed to debt among a number of people I know. That’s why I highly recommend following these rules when you go to Target — especially if you’ve been known to overspend while shopping there.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has positions in Target. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Target. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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