Shopaholics Anonymous
How to limit your spending?
(for shopaholics and budgetnistas alike)
So you want to spend money but all ya got is air?
Did you just open your wallet and your wallet is literally coughing right now? Do you leave out the mall looking and feeling like this?
But then come home feeling like this? lol
Don't worry. I know a thing or two about this (and about being a broke bitch lol) and today I'm going to share my little tips with YOU!
but first.
a little quiz to see if indeed this really is you.
SHOPAHOLICS QUIZ!
1. Would you say you LOVE shopping?
(a) strongly agree
(b) agree
(c) strongly disagree
(d) disagree
2. Would you say you get this itchy uneasy feeling if you wanna buy something and you can't or shouldn't?
(a) strongly agree
(b) agree
(c) strongly disagree
(d) disagree
3.Do you watch hauls on you tube like it's TV?
(a) strongly agree
(b) agree
(c) strongly disagree
(d) disagree
If you answered (a) to all or the majority of these questions, you are probably a shopaholic lol. But don't feel alone. I know I answered (a) to everything and I'm not ashamed. For some women, this is our livelihood and that's why I didn't say how to stop shopping, I said how to limit it because life just wouldn't be fun or as fun without shopping. It just wouldn't and why take away something you love? My mom said she could tell I'm a shopaholic when we were just window shopping because it literally looks like I'm in paradise when I'm at the mall and for me, it is! lol I'm a mall girl and if you think about it, the mall is literally a womans paradise. Women are the market and because of that, just about everything that's there is geared towards us, made with us in mind or specifically made for our wants and needs. Now a days you have a nail shop AND hair salon in there too! You can literally wake up and go there with your best friend, have a coffee at starbux, get your nails done together, your eyebrows done, your hair done if you want, shop, catch an afternoon movie, take a break and eat & catch up (I literally saw an olive garden in the mall I went to last time.. I was so shocked), go back to shopping and feel like a queen when you leave lol. Literally. You can't tell me that isn't a paradise lol. And just all that walking is very good for you too. I love to walk. Walking is one of those things that actually is an exercise but doesn't even feel like it because we do it everyday. It actually just feels good to do and fun fact: shopping burns 75 calories per hour. Of course this differs and varies depending on how long you shop and many other factors. But numbers aside because they don't even matter, shopping is just a healthy thing to do. Its healthy for your body and mind actually. BUT, you want to have control of your spending. So for my shopaholics that need motivation to spend less and for the girls that just are budgeting right now because it's tight or your saving up for something special, here are my tips! These are just my few tips that I notice help me. Some of these are kind of bizzare but they help me so there you have it. Everyone is different so feel free to take what you like and leave what you don't!
Trixie's Tips
Tip #1 For the time that you are not trying to spend ANYTHING, do NOT step foot in the mall or any place you like to spend. This includes boutiques, beauty supplies, just random stores. Something about actually being in the store with the stuff in your hand is like a recipe for disaster. You will end up at that checkout.
but what will I do to fill the void?
Tip # 2 Watch shopping hauls! I know this one is strange but for me it doesn't necessarily make me want to spend even more. It feels like a buzz or fix to see someone else do the spending. I would do this even if I wasn't trying to not buy something because it can feel like double the experience if that makes sense. It's like those people that watch the food network when they are hungry. For some, it will just make you bust into your fridge like a wild grizzly bear. But for others, its like it satisfies the feeling without the calories. When I look at hauls, it's like I get a rush and excitement without spending. I've been doing it for awhile now and it actually works for me.
Tip #3 Clean that room girl! Go through all your old stuff and then you'll realize how many things you actually have! All the stuff you only bought months ago. Some things unopened and not even used! I've been there. I actually STILL have unused things in my room or things I only used once and then what happens is I start making use out of those things. Or I go through old things and find something I haven't worn in like 5 years and put it on and it feels like a whole new coat or thing or whatever. It actually feels like shopping in your room to me! When I do a deep cleaning, I always find stuff from years ago that was buried in some box or somewhere where I couldn't see and then I start using it and it feels just like that same feeling (or close to) when I buy something new!
Tip #4 Get to Organizing. Try little organizational things so that you are able to actually see what you have. Another thing with stuff like this is when things are disorganized, it all just meshes together and you don't see anything which makes you want to buy new things because you feel like you didn't have that pair of earrings or this and that when you actually do! I organized my jewelry tree to where I can see every piece recently. It wasn't necessarily messy. It was more like poorly organized. Before, There was so much stuff on it that it kind of looked like a big ball. There was just TOO much on there to where it was like I couldn't individually see one pair of earrings which then made me not even look at it all together, which then made me feel like I needed new earrings lol. So clear the clutter!
For the girls that are not trying to cut back completely, just some, here is a rule of thumb.
Tip #5 Buy smaller purchases verses one large purchase.
If you go into a store and buy an expensive purse, chances are you will still spend and end up leaving $600 short or you will stop but you will quickly end up back at the mall because it felt like you only just made one purchase. If you are trying to cut back, hold off on the Coach and Henri Bendel and go to Icing and walk out with all kind of goodies for half the price. When you leave, your gonna feel fulfilled leaving the store because you got so much and you won't end up back at the mall the next day. Works every time!
Last tip and the best one of all
Tip #6 Practice an attitude of gratitude. Before I loose you, this is the tip that has probably helped me the most and I'll explain why. When I looked through all my old stuff, look at the newer things i have, gifts I've gotten, all my clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry just everything and just REALLY look at it, I feel so content and blessed with what I have already! It feels like this sense of fullness. In that moment, I don't have any voids. It feels better or equivalent to shopping, I promise you.
So those are my tips and I hope this article helps someone out there and if not that, I hope it was pleasurable to read. Happy Saturday =)
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