“A case in point: some claim they save $30-$40
per month shopping online rather than going to
the mall. “
Even if that were true, we are willing to spend hundreds on other mitzvos like esrog, lulav, mehudar tefillin, etc etc – we can’t push ourselves in order to save our neshamos and stay connected to Hashem and extra $30-40 per month?
Even if you’re shopping weekly, you would likely spend more than that on most Y”T expenses and other devarim shebikdushah and this is much more than that, it’s saving the neshamos of yourself and your children!