Making some changes in shopping habits can help you save extra money on a regular basis!
Are you saving up for something big, but your shopping addiction prevents you from saving as much as you want to? Or are you in debt because you’re shopping beyond your means?
Often, a person’s shopping habits are ingrained into their psyche, and they can find it difficult to restructure their shopping process to change these habits.
However, there are ways in which you can change your everyday habits so you can save money, and live better.
Making these changes when you buy products can mean that you transform your relationship with shopping forever, allowing you to save your wallet and stop cluttering your home with things you don’t really need.
Remove Temptation
Look carefully through your email subscriptions and social media feeds. If your favourite brands are putting out constant promotion streams about your favourite products, you will find it a lot harder to stop shopping needlessly.
Hit the unsubscribe button to remove these toxic influences from your social media and email feeds. They will only make it so you can’t stick to the good habits.
You should also stop window shopping or casually having shopping dates with friends. Avoid the places where you normally spend money. Removing the initial temptation can really help you with cultivating better money habits.
Have A Cooling Off Period
Are you a fan of impulse purchases? Before you commit to buying something, leave yourself a window of time to reflect on whether you really need or want the item.
This can really stop the amount of impulse, needless purchases that are draining your bank account. Most of the time, the desire will pass.
Adopting this policy will make it a lot easier for you to save money, as you will make sure that you’re only buying the things you actually need.
Declutter
It is a misconception that decluttering your home will make you want to buy more to replace it.
When you are giving away/donating things that you don’t use anymore, it will make you realise how quickly the high you get from buying fades.
It will make you realise how much money you have atrophied away on things you don’t actually need. It can be a sobering process and can stop you from needlessly wasting money in the future.
Identify The Biggest Culprits
Where are the biggest places that you spend money, and what types? Do you waste the most money on clothes, makeup, gadgets, food, or skincare?
If you are a loyal customer somewhere, it can make you want to spend money even more than you already do.
Stay away from shopping centres or online stores where you are already confident spending money, as it cultivates a false sense of financial security.
If you’re used to shopping somewhere, it can also create feelings of familiarity and comfort. In essence, think about where you spend the most money, and stay away from there.
Identify Shopping Triggers
What makes you mindlessly spend on things you don’t need? Do you spend more when you are sad, bored or frustrated? Do you use shopping as a reward for your everyday personal goals?
Identifying what triggers you to start shopping can help you reframe your behaviour.
Using shopping as a coping method or regulatory tool can be one of the worst things you can do for both your mental health and your wallet.
When you shop away bad emotions or reward yourself with material possessions you don’t actually connect with yourself. Try replacing these reactions with more positive things.
For example, why not go for a walk when you’re frustrated or talk to a trusted friend when you’re sad?
Rewarding yourself with things like a bath or a lie-in when you achieve a goal is also much better for your habits than just material goods.
Replace Shopping With Something Good
When trying to beat an addiction, many people find it a lot easier to replace the energy they would devote to that addiction with something else entirely.
This helps to keep the mind preoccupied and means they can get over the habit much easier. For example, instead of splurging on things you don’t need, why not practice sending money to a savings account when you get the urge?
This could transform your money habits. You could also try exercising when you feel the urge, as the endorphins you get will be a positive experience. This way, you can train your brain away from a shopping habit.
Set Goals For Yourself
Having achievable goals that you can easily see the benefits of is a fantastic way to train your brain towards better spending habits.
For example, why not decide to stop buying one thing you regularly do (such as takeout) for a week and see how you go with that?
After that goal has been achieved, you can then move on to bigger goals as they become more manageable.
Creating a budget that you can’t go over is a good way to make you realise how much money you waste in general.
After your first month, just see how much more money you have at the end. This could give you the wake-up call you need, and manageable goals could keep you sticking to good habits.
Change Your Self Image
One of the main reasons people start shopping so much is to keep up with a dodgy self-image.
For example, if they perceive themselves to be the person that is always well-dressed or has the best tech, they will shop to fulfil the need to see themselves that way.
Unfortunately, social media exacerbates this need for fulfilment within society. Really connecting with who you really are can stop you from spending on things that you don’t necessarily need- and shouldn’t contribute to your self-worth.
Decide What You Need
If you aren’t happy with what you already have, you will keep spending to fill the need. For example, if you’re constantly buying going out dresses, you need to get rid of the ones you don’t wear.
Instead, invest in one or two nice dresses you really like so that you are actually happy with your clothes so you don’t feel the need to constantly buy more and more.
Take control of your erratic shopping habits today and be prepared to start saving more money than ever before. Think about what you could do with that money – and start restructuring your shopping habits today.
Keep in Mind
Online consumer shopping habits and behavior can be both positive and negative at the same time. But we strongly recommend to prioritize a lot on the positive side.
