6 ways how not to be a Shopaholic

Ruchika Daga Ruchika Daga

 

“…my heart never beats as fast as it does when I see a ‘Reduced by 50%’ sign.”

That’s Rebecca Bloomwood for you from the 2009 movie ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’. For those of you who don’t know, she suffered from Compulsive Buying Disorder (it’s a real thing, people are writing thesis on it!). Mannequins lured her into buying stuff she didn’t need, eventually, leading her into a debt trap. But because it’s a movie, Rebecca’s prince charming comes to her rescue and the movie ends on a happy note.

Real-life as we know is far from movies. Your prince/ princess charming can’t necessarily help you out (that is if you have one) and impulsive buying can have serious consequences. So, let’s learn how to be our own heroes-

  1. The 30-day rule – The shoes in front of you are irresistible. Or so you think. Wait for 30 days. If after those 30 days, you still want to buy them, go ahead. Else, you sure have forgotten about them.
  2. Make a budget. Make a list. Going shopping without planning is like shooting in the dark, with the arrow pointed towards your own self.

After you come back, make a list again, to see where you exceeded and where you could have saved. Were you tricked into buying something? What were you thinking when you bought that? Write it all down. This makes your resolve stronger when you go shopping the next time.

  1.   Do away with shopping apps and credit card information on your phone. You didn’t earn money in a click. You don’t want to burn it in a click.
  2. Don’t be a hoarder. Don’t forget the environmental cost of anything that you buy. Whenever you buy something new, first recycle/ upcycle something from the old. Thinking of getting a new phone cover or even a new phone, first spiff up what you already own. You don’t want to get rid of your old things, don’t buy new things. Simple. 
  3.   Have your partner by your side, so that one can always hold the other accountable. Well, Fibbl can help you here. They give you a detailed check on your and your partner’s spending habits.
  4. Remember what Emma Watson once said, “…you have a family to feed, not a community to impress”. You should own things and not the other way round. It’s not a very smart thing to buy things with the sole objective of showing off to the world.

You are fighting against marketers using every psychological trick in the book to tempt you into buying their products/ services. When in the salon, you are made to feel like your hair needs immediate attention before you go bald. Almost everything that you buy online is soon getting out of stock or is on sale (to create a sense of urgency so you buy those ASAP). Everybody is trying to sell you something. Do yourself a favor. Save yourself from buyer’s remorse.