We’ve all been guilty of making an impulse purchase that seemed like a good idea at the time but later on turned out to be a not so good buy. The thing with buying items on a whim all the time is that you’ll end up wasting money and end up with clothes you’re not actually going to wear. Wouldn’t you rather put your shopping funds towards something that you absolutely love? I know that it can be difficult to resist buying a pair of cute shoes or a great dress when you first spot it but it’s so important to step back to ensure that you’re making a good buy. Here are a few things that you can do to try and curb an impulse buy before it happens.
Walk around the shop or step away from the laptop
If you’ve got the overwhelming urge to buy something and it really wasn’t in your plan to do so then do the the equivalent of taking a deep breath and counting to 10 by walking away from it. Either walk out of the shop for half an hour or step away from your laptop and make yourself a cup of tea so you can try and get that ‘buy, buy, buy’ feeling under control. Whilst you’re doing this think about the below.
Outfit check it
Think about what other things in you closet this potential buy could work with. If you’ve managed to mentally work it back with a number of outfits then it’s likely to get plenty of use. If you can only come up with a handful of looks then think twice about buying it because it might not get many outings and won’t be worth the spend.
Have a shopping list
I always like to think strategically about any potential purchases to avoid impulse buys that may or may not work. This is why I’ve always got a shopping list of things that I need in my wardrobe. Whether it’s a gap I’ve spotted in the clothes I have, something I need to replace or a look I need for an upcoming event, I always have a list so I can refer to it whenever I’m shopping and usually try to tick an item off the list before adding something to it again. Having an idea of what I actually need as opposed to just shopping based on what’s caught my eye has really helped stop many an impulse purchase.
Wait 24 hours
If you can do this it’s really a useful tactic. I do it all the time because whenever I see something I like in a store I’ll most likely have the girls and won’t have the time to try something on. So I wait until I can get to the shop again on my own (at least 24 hours) and If I’m still thinking about whatever I saw I’ll try it on and decide whether to buy it or not. I adopt the same principle for online buys. I’ll pop something in my shopping cart, sleep on it then revisit again the next day. Usually waiting gives me the time to mull a purchase over and determine if it’s a worthwhile addition to my wardrobe.
Have a set budget
It’s amazing what a limited shopping budget can do to reign in unnecessary purchases. If you’ve give yourself a set amount to spend on wardrobe buys, you’ll be much more likely to consider potential buys a lot more carefully. So instead of just picking up a top or pair of earrings and buying it because you like it that second, you’ll stop and take a moment to decide whether you really do want it or whether you’d rather direct your hard earned dollars to something you absolutely want.
What’s an impulse buy that you’ve regretted?
No Comments