I have very little willpower when it comes to being distracted by shiny new toys. So what i do now is take the cost of the item and move that much money out of my main bank account into a savings account. Then I see if I need that money in the next 30 days. If I need it within the 30 days, I still have it to hand to use. And if I don't need it, and don't want the item any more (which happens 99% of the time), the money can either stay in savings or I can withdraw it if I need it

That makes sense. It always helps to know our weaknesses because then we can find ways to work around them, as you seem to have done!