Your 30-Second Pause Before You Purchase

Sometimes the most powerful financial tool isn’t a budget — it’s a pause.

Zenee Elisè

Nov 27, 2025

We’ve all been there.

One minute you’re just browsing, and the next, your cart total is $80.

You tell yourself it’s okay because everything’s on sale. You’ll use it eventually. You deserve a treat.

And maybe that’s all true.

But lately, I’ve been asking myself a question: Why did I feel the need to buy it in the first place?

“A pause doesn’t take your freedom away, it gives it back to you.”

Because the truth is, most of us don’t shop out of need. We shop out of noise: the noise of marketing, comparison, or even stress.

And that’s why learning to pause has become one of the most powerful shifts in my life.

The Power of the Pause

When we stop, even for just 30 seconds, something amazing happens: logic catches up to emotion.

That small pause gives your brain a chance to step out of autopilot and ask, What’s really going on here?

Do I want this or do I want to feel something?

The pause doesn’t shame you for wanting. It just helps you want with awareness.

Practice the Pause

Here’s how I’ve been practicing it:

Breathe. One deep breath before you click “checkout.”
Check in. What are you feeling right now: excitement, boredom, stress, loneliness?
Revisit your values. Does this purchase align with what matters to you — your budget, your goals, your planet?

Even if you still decide to buy it, that moment of mindfulness changes everything.

You’re no longer reacting, you’re choosing.

Your Support Tool

That’s exactly why I created the Before You Buy Flowchart.

It’s not a lecture or a checklist, it’s a pause in your pocket.

A 30-second moment to step back before the impulse takes over.

It’s gentle and helps you reconnect to your values before you swipe, tap, or click.

👉🏾 Download your $2 Before You Buy Flowchart here — the 30-second pause that protects your peace, your wallet, and your planet.

You don’t have to shop perfectly this season.

Just more intentionally one purchase at a time.

Because conscious living isn’t about guilt. It’s about awareness.

And every pause, every mindful moment, is a small act of resistance against overconsumption.

“Slowing down isn’t the opposite of progress, it’s what makes progress sustainable.”

Before we wrap up this month, I just want to say thank you.

To everyone who’s read, shared, or downloaded the Before You Buy Flowchart. Your support means the world to me.

You’re proving that mindfulness and sustainability can coexist, even in a world built on urgency.

If you missed the other newsletters in this Black Friday Mindset series, I encourage you to read through them.

Each one builds on the other, helping you stay grounded, intentional, and aligned no matter how loud the sales get.

And if you haven’t grabbed your copy yet,

👉🏾 Download the Before You Buy Flowchart here — a small but powerful tool to help you navigate the noise this season and beyond.

Shareable lines:

“A pause doesn’t take your freedom away, it gives it back to you.”
“Slowing down isn’t the opposite of progress, it’s what makes progress sustainable.”

Currently

Reading- Law School Cases

Listening (music)- “High”- 5 Seconds of Summer

Listening (podcast)- “Financial Feminist” by Tory Dunlap

Waiting on- Winter break

Thank you for reading “Better You.”

If you would like to support me, feel free to: