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You may be familiar with this conundrum, especially if you’re a recent college grad or just venturing out on your own: You need credit to get credit. Lenders want to see your track record as a borrower before approving you for a credit card or car loan. So how do you get started?

The academic world has found an intriguing solution. Building on their previous study of grocery shoppers, professors from the University of Notre Dame, Rice University, and Northwestern University recently determined that shopping habits overall — not just for groceries — say a lot about how likely someone is to pay back their loans.

The new study compared purchase data from a group of people in Peru with their records from the country’s national credit registry. Looking at a broad swath of purchases — including clothing, household goods, and home improvement items — the professors found that people who bought items on sale, shopped at regular times, and consistently avoided cash payments posed a lower default risk than those who didn’t.

In fact, according to these researchers, if lenders used shopping data as part of their vetting process, they could double or even triple credit card approval rates for first-time borrowers without risking a significant increase in unpaid debts.

(The grocery study found a similar correlation with bargain shoppers, and determined that people are more likely to pay their bills on time if they grocery shop on the same days, spend similar amounts, and choose the same products.)

So what? As a growing body of research suggests that lenders use less traditional data sources to decide who to loan to, building healthy financial habits could take on a whole new meaning. Even if you already have a solid track record with credit, it could become more important to cultivate not just responsible borrowing habits, but also prudent spending habits.

And in the meantime, if you're trying to get a credit card or loan without a credit history, consider getting a secured credit card or becoming an authorized user on a parent’s account first. (Don’t do this, though, if your parents don’t have good credit habits — or if you’re less sure that you will — because it can impact both you and your parent.)

Related Reading

Dear SoFi, How Do I Avoid Messing Up My First Credit Card? (SoFi)

How to Use Rent-Reporting Services to Build Credit (NerdWallet)

Surprising Trends in American Spending Habits You Need to Know (Investopedia)

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