I have similar issues with spending. I've managed to cut down on spending on many items by wandering around for a while either with them in my hand, or before I pick them up. If I can manage to forget about it during my wandering, or if I manage to talk myself out of it during my wandering, then I leave without it. It works for a bunch of stuff. It manages to pull the impulse out of the purchase. My problem is, it doesn't work all of the time. The cash card sounds like a good idea. I might try that...

I think understanding that I was spending to fill a void helped with being able to walk around and counteract the impulse spending. I keep reminding myself it doesn't actually make me feel better in the long run. It actually makes me feel worse when we have no vacation money and no savings of any kind.