10 tips to STOP SHOPPING || Minimalism for beginners
1). Know your why
Why are you doing this? To meet a savings goal? Because you are living beyond your means and it makes you feel stressed and guilty and you’re sick of feeling this way?
Some people find stopping shopping harder than others so it’s good to know your why, so in your more vulnerable moments you can recall why you are doing this.
2). Keep a spending diary
Start logging what you spend over a few months and you’ll quickly identify in which areas of your life you may be overspending.
Once you have that information you will be able to judge where you can make cut backs.
Keeping a spending diary also stops burying your head in the sand when it comes to your finances. The slight element of gamification and not having to make any spending cuts for the first couple of months eases you in when it comes to taking control of your finances.
3). Start small and things will add up
Small actions such as cancelling subscriptions you don’t use, stopping the purchase of takeaway coffees and using up makeup samples will add up over time and you’ll find that those modest savings will translate into something quite significant at the end of a year.
4). Stop going into shops and browsing online
This is a case of out of sight, out of mind.
There’s no point in putting yourself in temptation’s way and seeking out nice clothes, imagining how you will look in them, where you will wear them and then the next thing you know, you’re pulling out your credit card.
5). Find something else to do
For some people shopping is a leisure activity and if that’s the case with you then you’ll need to replace it with something.
Find a creative outlet, such as cooking, crafting, drawing - whatever appeals to you.
If you focus your energies on something constructive that gets you into the flow state you’ll forget about shopping.
6). Identify your triggers and remove temptation
So for example, unsubscribe from marketing email and change your ad preferences on social media.
7). Unfollow social media that makes you unsatisfied with your life
If influencers continually post pictures of unrealistic aspirational lifestyles that make you unhappy and dissatisfied with your life then unfollow them.
You can’t buy your way into contentment and that’s especially true if you can’t afford that lifestyle in the first place.
One other thing to remember is that these influencers are portraying an idealised version of life and they themselves aren’t living.
8). Delete saved card details from retail apps
Sometimes our innate laziness can be an advantage.
If you delete saved card details from retailer websites, the additional hassle of getting up to get your card from your purse might just make you think twice about your purchase.
9). Incorporate a non-negotiable cooling off period before buying something
This will give you the time and space to really decide whether you want to purchase an item or not.
Give yourself a week and really think about it.
10). Make a list of things you need before you start shopping
Whether this be grocery shopping or clothes shopping. Head into your shopping trips with a plan of action and a list of things that you want. It will stop you shopping aimlessly and making impulse purchases that you’ll later regret.
