This viral money saving hack is already in your phone.

I have one question for you: How are you dealing with cozzie livs? 

If you're a spending princess like myself, you're probably freaking out about having to start saving some of that money and therefore missing out on the little hit of dopamine that comes when you click "add to cart."

Well, what if I told you that you could have the best of both worlds?

You can still buy what you want — while also saving. Oh, and the best part? All you need is the notes app in your phone.

TikToker Sierra Boudreaux (@averagesisi) shared her brilliant money saving hack in a video that now has over a million views. 

She said that this is the hack for people (like us) who love spending, probably indulge in "little treat" culture and struggle to save. 

@averagesisi Hot girls are financially mindful, no matter how much or little money we have!! #savingmoney #creditcarddebt #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Sierra

Right off the bat, Sierra kindly acknowledged that not all of our spending is our fault, but said that we should take the reins over our finances.

"You're not going to shame yourself because we live in an age where we're constantly being sold to," she said. "That is not your fault, but it is your responsibility to make sure you keep yourself on track for your financial goals." 

What is the money saving hack?

Sierra's money saving hack isn't as depressing as... let's be honest... most other money saving hacks. Sierra said that in her notes app she has a list titled 'Impulsive Avoidance' (huge vibes).

Whenever she feels the urge to buy something, or just before she proceeds to the "check out" step of an online purchase, Sierra opens her notes app instead. Then, she writes down the name of the purchase, the date she was going to buy it, and how much it is.

Then, she said, (and prepare yourself when I say this) she doesn't actually buy the item. I know — shock horror. 

"Oftentimes we don't really want the thing... we want the dopamine that's attached to it," she explained. Don't worry, there is a light at the end of the savings tunnel.

Sierra went on to say that at the end of every month, she looks at her list and adds up the cost of every "almost" purchase. She also reminded us to be kind to ourselves if the length of our list seemed a bit *cough cough* confronting...

Now for the good news. After adding up the cost of your monthly list, you put half of that amount into your savings, but the other half? You get to spend that on whatever you want. HOORAY! 

Does it actually work?

This money saving hack might sound super basic, but trust me. I didn't actually know how much I was spending on small things. I also realised that the majority of these small items were absolutely unnecessary (except for my fidget spinner keyring, which was most definitely needed). 

I had no idea how much I was spending every month until I was confronted with it in my notes app. 

The majority of the comments on Sierra's video are applauding her for this viral idea... 

"GENIUS. My ADHD thanks you profusely for this idea queen."

"The amount of times I’ve received packages and been like 'what did I order?' I have Amazon prime, I get stuff within 1-2 days. That’s how long it takes me to forget. This is a great idea!!"

"The way that I almost never want the items after even 24 hours of it being in my cart!!"

"Oh snap! I thought the dopamine hit was to see how much you saved! ANDDDD we get a treat. You on to something!"

The Impulsive Avoidance list has made me be more mindful of my spending habits AND it's made the purchases that I ended up buying that little bit more valuable. Oh, and when you know that you're buying something you deserve? Trust me... the dopamine hits differently. 

If you want more opinions and hacks from Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem.

What do you think of this money saving hack? Tell us in the comments!

Feature image: Tiktok/@averagesisi