You don’t have to be a shopaholic to get that fuzzy feeling in your stomach when you walk out of a store with a bag of new goodies. Your family has a shopping budget, but the money tends to vanish the same day you get it in your hot little hands.
Sale signs are everywhere, new clothing trends are ever present, and there are always little accessories to jazz up your outfit. So how are you supposed to stop shopping in our world of advertising? Here are some tips to encourage you in preparation of the holidays.
1. Look for inspiration online.
Blogs and Pinterest are full of wonderful fashion and home decoration ideas. If you have a pair of pants you really like, but have run dry on inspiration, you can search for outfits that will use that item in an outfit that you would never have paired together yourself.
Try not to look on websites that have prices posted because that could tempt you to place an order if they had a good deal. Looking online can give you the illusion of shopping. By seeing other people’s ideas you can look at your own wardrobe in a new light.
2. Sort through your clothes.
Sorting through your clothes can also give you a new perspective on putting together outfits. My clothes are stored in two different closets, so when I go through both of them I find a sweater I forgot I had or realize that a skirt would go really well with that cardigan. Organizing your clothes in a way that you can see every item clearly is a safe way to avoid purchasing the same item twice.
3. Be patient for holidays and birthdays.
Being patient is hard, but haven’t we been told that patience is rewarded? Most people feel pressure to get the birthday girl something she’ll really like, so if she has a list of things she wants, it’s a relief to the party guests.
Christmas is a great time to cross multiple things off your list, just make sure the items are in a reasonable price range. If you’re the kind of person that likes to be surprised you can hint at the item instead of telling them directly. It’s a great feeling to receive gifts you’ve waited for from people that love you and you didn’t have to pay anything. Then you associate that item with the person that gave it to you instead of the extra hours you had to work to get it.
4. Browse secondhand stores.
I’m in hopes that secondhand stores will lose the negative connotations associated with them. Shopping at stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army and St. Vincent’s is like going on a treasure hunt. My co-worker bought a bracelet at a secondhand store for four dollars to find out later that it is worth over five hundred! These stores don’t pick and chose what brands to sell so you can find your favorite brand names in the midst of all the others.
Look around your area for consignment stores. They sell your items and you receive a certain percentage of the re-sale. That money can be cash in your pocket or used for store credit. Consignment stores are perfect for those expensive clothing items that you just don’t want anymore.
5. Know your style.
There’s no feeling like seeing that dress with the tags still on it hanging in the back of the closet. It seems like a simple concept not to buy things you won’t wear, but it’s easy to get caught up in trends. Know what you’re comfortable wearing and what you aren’t. For example, I don’t wear many jackets or dangling earrings. I love looking at them, but I get warm easily and feel weird having weight on my ears.
Do you like prints or solids? What materials are you comfortable in? Do you like leather or velvet? Ask yourself these questions before you buy the latest snake-skin, neon yellow, skinny pants. I’d imagine they wouldn’t be very comfortable.
I’m not telling you not to shop at all, but rather I’m encouraging you to shop for yourself. Be creative with what you have, purchase items that you love and I think you’ll find yourself walking down the street with an outer and inner confidence.
Do you have a problem shopping for clothes too often? Leave a comment and let us know!
