The Thrill of Buying

Are you a shopaholic? I am! Last year was crazy for me. Do you know the saying ‘shop till you drop’?? Well that was me last year! Shopping twice, three times a week...I absolutely NEEDED to buy that pair of jeans...it’s a shade of blue different to the 4 other pair of blue jeans I already own!!! I needed to buy that top..it’s on sale and therefore I am missing out on the opportunity if I don’t buy it. That was me.  It didn’t matter that all those shopping bags lay carelessly on the floor of my bedroom. It didn’t matter that I was not wearing them. It was a rather a question of owning them...the thrill of buying. Sounds familiar???

The thrill of buying often outweighs consideration for the consequences of overspending that follows. If you really think about it, it’s not solely our fault. We are constantly being told to buy. Buying will make us happy. Advertisements, sales...Consumerism...We are encouraged to buy as buying will help boost the economy. 

So let’s come back to our share of responsibility in all this. We are perfectly aware of what we are doing when shopping. We know our closets are full, but then we are in the store, we think ...maybe I do need this one blouse or it will come in handy. Some friends I know even hide it from their husbands. They have feelings of guilt.

So what makes the difference between normal shopping, the occasional splurges and shopping addiction? 

Let’s work together and come up with some tips to help ourselves.

-          First of all, ask yourself. Do you really need this extra pair of jean? Or this blouse? If you don’t really need it, then don’t buy it. It is as simple as that. Curb that urge to buy just for the sake of buying.

-          Do NOT buy an item just because it is on sale. There will be other sales. There are sales all year long. So resist temptation!

-          Use cash only. Inconvenient?? That’s the point. Debit/credit cards make it so much easier to spend. We need to create this connection in our minds that when we are buying something, we are paying cash. Debit/credit cards do not register in our minds..They are plastic, right??

-          Track down everything you spend on.  When you are a shopaholic like me, you don’t even know the amount you have spent. When you start tracking down your spending, you will be less tempted to buy more and more.

-          Ask for help. Yes, do ask for help. I got lots of shopping buddies and yes, they overspend too. So work together to control your shopping.

Got any more tips? Please share them...