Think Twice Before You Buy
Most of us know the rush that comes with the purchase of a new item. The feeling even has a pithy name – Retail Therapy. The truth about what we own versus what we actually wear/need has been highlighted to the extreme during recent months. Many of us have culled our wardrobes to the favorites and essentials but (like the early days of my pandemic fitness regime), the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction and the itch to buy is back.
Retail Therapy is so often a short-lived high, with the feeling of purchase and expectation better than the item itself. (I’m looking at you, one-egg cast iron skillet. Where is my mini-spatula?!) When shopping these days, I work to be hyper-aware around the distinction between need versus want.
I know, thinking this way can be a buzz kill. Shopping is supposed to be fun and thrilling and bring joy with its impulsivity! And yet, staring at an item that gets little or no use or for which you overpaid or doesn’t suit the current lifestyle spells waste and feels like egg on my face (at last, a use for the aforementioned skillet).
Some mindful shopping tips:
Prize experiences over materialism. Yes, experiences are hard to come by these days, what with a global pandemic and all, BUT you have the power to prioritize. For example, choose new running shoes that support your mental and physical health over a new pair of heels that will see little immediate use.
Don’t be sucked in by sales. Vendors know how discounts make us weak but spending ANY amount on an item you don’t need is still too much.
Pause and list. If you can wait even twenty-four hours before you complete a transaction, you are far less likely to follow through. The longer you wait, the lower the chances. For items that ‘haunt’ you, reviewing a list even a few days after the initial impulse will soften the pull we feel in the heat of the moment. It’s lust, after all, and it fades.
Skip repeats. We are drawn to the same things over and over. Be honest with yourself about what you already have on hand, and if you must shop, work to find complimentary and unique pieces. You’ll be surprised how this thought process minimizes your acquisitions!
Money in the bank feels like possibility more than a pile of stuff ever will. Saving towards a specific goal is a great way to redirect your brain from the click and buy high. Every time you are tempted to buy, I suggest you move that same amount of money to a savings account with your goal’s name on it. Once we emerge from this pandemic, I want to travel…and then I’ll no doubt want to pick up something there.
Think of Mother Earth. Does the personal impact your purchase makes outweigh the greenhouse gases and water it takes to make and deliver it to you? I know, I know, but it’s the ugly truth about our choices.
Shopping is not a dirty word when done thoughtfully. The best purchases are the ones you can feel good about from every angle.
- Stephanie
