When browsing the net, chances are you'll be bombarded with ads. If you see an ad for something which you think you need, you may click on ad and land on the advertisers site which is exactly what they want — so they can sell you stuff. Since some of the offers can be rather tempting, someone could end up buying something they hadn't budgeted for. Do you think blocking ads could help such people or anyone else who can't just help trying out some product save money?
Maybe for the normal web user yes that would work, for those accustomed to the web I don't think it'd make a big difference. I use an ad blocking software myself, but even when I'm on a computer or smartphone without one my eyes generally adjust to ignore the adverts. Of course they'll still be in my subconcious but generally speaking I pay no attention to any adverts online when I see them.
Ads are everywhere. People need to develop restraint. Lol These people that buy to buy, buy impulsively, etc are people that need therapy because they have no restraint. These are people that can't even pass by a store. Not all ads can be blocked.
From the moment I started using the internet until right this moment, I have refused to click on ads. I just won't do it. At first it was fear lol.. I had no idea what to trust, so I just didn't trust anything until I got the hang of things. Now it's just annoyance.. I find it invasive. If I wanted something, I'd go looking for it. If anything, if you come to me, I'll make it a point not to purchase from you in the future. I do block ads though, so I haven't seen one in ages.
I am never interested on the content of ads as I find them really annoying. I'm not interested in what is being advertised, whatever it is. I just want it off my screen!
I don't mind clicking ads. After all, I'm just gonna browse the prices just to compare, I'm not gonna buy, so I don't mind them. I don't find them that intrusive too, since I have my pop-up blocker on, so what I see are the ads tailored to my browsing activity.
I've only done a few times when I have seen an airline fare that looked good, otherwise I prefer to go to the site itself. I know ads are important for some sites, but I would rather go there myself unless it looks like a reputable ad and not a spam ad.
I have all ads suppressed to maximum ability lol. It's gotten to the point, now, that whenever I go to use anybody else's computer or laptop, and I open up their Firefox and or chrome - or whatever browser that they primarily use - and ads pop up, I get a little bit surprised. And I feel like I'm surprised because ads are so annoying, and I can't understand how anybody could live their lives without some sort of ad blocker lol. I never click ads, and the ones that just pop up when you click a link that you want to go to all get blocked.
It would actually be great for me! I have no self restraint at all. The only way I can avoid buying something that catches my eye is to just not have the money. My husband caught on to this within the first 6 months together. As soon as we had been together long enough he took control of the finances. Now, at the end of the month our bills are paid, we have extra money, and the house isn't full of junk we don't need. Lol
I think blocking ads is a good tactic for those who have trouble keeping themselves from spending too much. I don't have this problem but from time to time I think I could use it even as a casual buyer. I do have some similar bad habits and I know if I had such aid I would definitely have more success in keeping myself straight, so yeah they probably would help a lot since just seeing a banner for a second could potentially make you tempted to click and when you do the next thing you know you'll be in a labyrinth of window shopping and possibly looking to purchase.
I also don't trust many of the advertisements I see, particularly pop-up ads, so I usually use an ad blocker. If there's something I see that is particularly of interest to me, I will make a note of it, and open a separate window to the site, so I can verify that the ad is indeed genuine, and bypass whatever mechanism caused the pop-up in the first place, because I don't want whoever placed the ad to think it worked and then subsequently bombard me with similar ads in the future. I sometimes even switch browsers when I manually go to the site, for this reason.
I admit to clicking some ads that interests me sometimes and just like what @sidney said, I really don't mind looking into the sites that catch my attention because I would just merely check out what they have to offer but I don't end up buying. I prefer buying physically from stores because I get to check the products myself before I decide on buying them.
I don't use any ad-blocking software, but equally I use to ignore all ads in place. Sometimes an ad sounds appealing to me and because it usually display the URL of the deal, I type myself the address in a new windows rather than clicking on it. I only click on ads that I may find in a website that has given me something; free software, an image, or outstanding advice. I feel this is a way to contribute with the owners of those sites for the gift they give.