I’m a retail therapy kinda gal, through and through. And let’s just say that 2020 was a year of online shopping for me. You, too? At the start of quarantine, my friend and I joked about it being Quaratine Christmas when we treated ourselves. But, of course, it’s all fun and games until it goes a little too far. There were several items I needed since I was home more – like a yoga mat for my workouts. Oh, and I finally bought a printer. So, it wasn’t all frivolous spending, but there were definitely some purchases that just brought comfort during a stressful time. Shopping online is so easy to get carried away, though. Need a little reining it in? Here are my tips to help you stop impulse shopping!
How to Stop Impulse Shopping
– Check your account balance before you start so you can set a spending limit. Take cash if you can!
– Stick to a list. I tell myself all the time to only get the items on my list. It usually helps.
– Don’t touch things: Don’t even get attached! haha. But, really. I find that if I don’t even pick it up it’s less likely to end up in my cart.
– Walk around the store while considering items: I know how silly this sounds. But, I do it all the time. If I can’t decide between 2 items, I’ll put them both in my cart and then continue around the store to finish my list. That gives me a little time to calm my thoughts.
– Keep the receipt in case you change your mind: Nothing worse than being stuck with something that doesn’t fit or you realized you didn’t need to buy,
– Budget for fun items: This is huge for me! I like to “reserve” paychecks for certain items. For example, if I know I want to buy new shoes and a new hairdryer, I buy one this week and the next in 2 weeks with my next paycheck. So, when I’m browsing I know I can only get the shoes this time.
– Don’t buy more to “save”. When they say you have to spend $5 more to get free shipping but the item will cost you $25. It’s not a good deal. Another that gets me is when items, especially makeup, are on buy 2 get 2 free a sale. It’s only a good deal if you were already planning to buy all those items! Otherwise, you are just spending more.
Impulse shopping isn’t always bad. Sometimes you see a deal on something you’ve been wanting even though you weren’t planning to buy it yet. But, it definitely helps to have some tips to keep things under control when shopping
Did you find these tips helpful? Let me know!
Thank you for reading!
