Shoopers Choose Coffee over Credit Cards

As many of us try to curb the urges to go on a shopping spree, we've all experienced the temptation to reach for the plastic and go fantastic. Sadly, with everyone scraping every last penny together to make ends meet, the urge has to be halted in its tracks with a firm slap of the wrist.

But if you do find yourself in this awful situation, try stepping back, taking a deep breath and... hey! Why not try a cup of coffee instead? That is the advice being dished out by glossy girls’ magazine Cosmopolitan.

According to the lifestyle publication, women who are on the verge of blowing their budgets while suffering from premenstrual tension should ring up a friend and opt for a caffeine infusion instead.

The magazine says that it will give them a similar feeling of release and, crucially, be a lot cheaper.

The advice follows a piece of academic research, which reveals the women may suffer from a need to splurge financially around the time of their menstruation period.

Professor Karen Pine of the University of Hertfordshire recently surveyed over 400 women about their spending habits.

She discovered that women were more likely to make an impulse buy in the days immediately before their period, a time called the luteal phase.

The study found that women in the pre-menstrual phase of their cycle were more likely to score highly on questions regarding recent impulse spending.

Worryingly, some of the women reported high levels of over-spending at this time, with reports of splurges in excess of £250.

Professor Pine explained that other studies of brain scans have shown fluctuations in activity in the orbitofrontal cortex during a woman’s menstrual cycle.

She explained: "This is the part of the brain involved in emotional regulation that is also activated by monetary rewards.

“The effect of ovarian hormones on the brain may explain fluctuations in women’s ability to keep their spending in check at certain times in their cycle."

Fiona Cowood, features editor at Cosmopolitan, had some practical advice for women suffering from this phenomenon.

She said: "I think maybe it might be worth marking it in your diary and making a bit of a mental note to yourself that if you are feeling that you’re getting the kind of urge to go spending to keep your credit card in your purse a and think seriously about what you might be tempted to buy."

Ms Cowood advised women who were in the habit of making impulse buys to go home and think about their potential purchase for 24 hours. If a day later the buy still seemed like a good idea, then they could make a considered decision about splashing the cash.