Shopping 101: 5 Tips to help you avoid compulsive spending

Shopaholic Hacks: 5 Tips to help you avoid compulsive spending

MF editorial team

14 Feb 2017

updated the Tuesday, February 14, 2017

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Ask the right questions
The best way to know if a purchase is a good investment is to ask yourself the proper questions, and to answer them truthfully. Do I really need it? If the answer is “yes”, go ahead. If you think “well, I have the same item, but in a slightly different colour”, then you need to think long and hard. Is it really value for money? Do I really want this dress or is it because it looks pretty good on the mannequin? All these little questions will help you tip the scales to one side or the other and will perhaps help you feel less guilty afterwards.
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Take the time to think about your purchase
If you hesitate on a piece, it is never a good sign. The best thing to do in this case is to put the item back, head home, and take some time to think about your potential-future-purchase. Sleep on it. If the thought of buying it seems to continue to haunt you all night, go back and buy it the next day. And the item is no longer there, don’t regret your choice to wait a bit - it probably wasn’t for you anyway.
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Always try before you buy
Often, on days when stores are super packed and overflowing with customers, you might feel the need to just purchase your items without trying them on in the fitting room. And when you get home and realise that they don’t quite fit or do not suit you, you might be inclined to just let them sit at the back of your wardrobe to gather dust instead of find the time to return them. To avoid unnecessary expenses (and a considerable loss of space in your closet), always try your finds and make sure that what you take home is something you will definitely wear. Even if the wait is long and tedious, the reality is that stepping into a fitting room at the store will save you time and money in the long run!
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Set a budget (and always stick to it)
Even if you only have the intention of window shopping, you might end up taking home something that you never planned to buy in the first place. To avoid impulse buying, set a strict budget that you definitely must not exceed. And for those of you completely addicted to forking out the cash on a whim, only carry the sum agreed upon.
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Beware of sales
Sure, if items are on sale, we tend to gravitate towards the rack. But the problem is, we would then end up buying things that we might not have needed in the first place! Just because something is 50% off doesn’t mean you really can’t survive without it! Is it just a basic piece that you already have plenty of at home? Or is it something unique that you’ve not come across before and might not for awhile? Take these questions into consideration.

No, stop reaching for those heels – you already have seventeen pairs at home!

At the bottom of our wardrobe drawer, we all have at least one item of clothing, still with its tags on, bought on a whim. You might have had plenty of sound reasons going through your mind as you made the purchase (“It’s the last item on the rack and it’s on sale! The colour is amazing, I really need it!”). You might have even promised yourself afterwards that it would be your very last impulse buy ever! Or, well, maybe not ever, but at least the last one for the next few months anyway.

Is there a way to rein in the spending and to stop all this compulsive, uncontrollable shopping? It might sound like an impossible mission! Well, unless you follow our survival guide! Head up to the gallery to check out our 5 tips to help you control your overwhelming urge to keep buying things.

PS: Most of these tips also apply to e-shopping!

Laura Gabrieli

Photo: Getty Images

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