Does your arm start itching to get to your credit card when you see an online sale? Or is shopping the only therapy for all your problems? Congratulations! You are a certified shopaholic. Don’t worry you have company because I too am lowkey addicted to shopping. Some say that shopping can’t really be an addiction. But only you know the vagaries that your wallet goes through when you step out of your house. Shopping can be fun, it can be therapeutic, but too much of anything is never good. So here are five effective ways in which you can (or at least try to) fight your shopping addiction:
- Plan a budget
Make a budget at the beginning of each month and allocate a fixed amount of money to all your shopping sins. Don’t allocate a random figure which is too low because you’ll never be able to stick to your budget. A good idea would be to first cut down your budget, by say, three-fourths and then half and so on. If you stick to your budget you will be able to differentiate between necessities and luxuries i.e. what you really need and what is most definitely a splurge. Treat this like a diet plan. Stick to it on most days, with an occasional cheat day here and there.
- Sign off all retail-store emails
Don’t even pretend like you will not get enticed by the 50% off on those beautiful Steve Maddens or buy-2-get-1 offer on those pieces of denim. I have been doing this and trust me it has been working. As Jamaicans would say “wah eye nuh see heart nuh leap”, which simply means if you don’t know what is out there you won’t be tempted to actually go out and make any purchases. A good idea to motivate yourself to do this is by making a list of all the things that you’ve bought in a week. Once you see how much you actually spend on things you don’t really need, you’ll automatically want to resist all temptation of buying newer things. Also, delete all e-commerce apps from your phone.
- Never just go to a mall in your free time
The reasons for this is the same as above. If you go to the mall just to pass your time then you will most definitely end up buying something. Even if you have to go in order to do some work, don’t go alone. Take a friend along with you. Ask them to be mindful of your spending. Avoid carrying too much cash as having cash in your wallet increases your propensity to spend. It might also be a good idea to hand over all your cards to your friend.
- Plan your shopping
Never shop on an impulse. Always make a list of the things that you need to buy before you go to the market. Never buy things outside of that list. This will bring some discipline to your shopping. Only put down things on the list that you really need and not ‘luxuries’. Also always make sure that you are not making these lists alone. Always have a friend in tow to check what items you’re putting on the list and what not.
- Freeze your credit cards!
No, I mean literally ‘freeze’ it. If all of the above don’t work just put all your cards in a jug of water and put it in the fridge. Your cards will not be easily available and at your disposal all the time. Your card is your biggest enemy when it comes to shopping de-addiction. It allows you to spend endlessly and then confront reality only at the end of the month. Distancing yourself from your cards can therefore help your shopaholic self.
You can indulge in the occasional splurge. Remember, this, like any other addiction will take some time and can be done best if you slowly wean away from it. These are tips that I have been using and they have been helping so I hope you guys find it helpful too. So help all your other shopaholics get on the plane of austerity!
I love you guys so so much and thank you for stopping by.
