Online shopping is, to put it lightly, one of my favorite hobbies. Whenever I want to procrastinate on homework or when I’m bored, I even do it while I’m watching TV and sometimes during a boring lecture. I’d go as far as saying online shopping is a hobby for me, and I’m sure I’m not alone. In an effort to save myself from declaring bankruptcy, I’ve developed a way to enjoy my hobby without going overboard, and lucky for you I’m sharing my secrets.
Secret #1: Set yourself a time limit
It can be scary to realize how much time in your day you spend building your dream wardrobe online. Time can slip away as you scroll through pages and pages trying to find the perfect pair of riding boots. Before you even begin to navigate towards victoriassecret.com set a timer on your phone for 1 hour (or less if your ballsy). After that timer goes off, step away—just exit the page or make your final purchase. Stopping yourself from spending too much time online shopping will also save you from spending money on things you don’t actually need.
Secret #2: Sleep on it
Sometimes when I’m at a real mall and trying to decide on a big purchase I leave the store to walk around and shop for other things, it gives me a chance to clear my head and decide if I really want the item. Sleep has the same effect. If you’re up late perusing yet another online store, bookmark the item and then go to bed. In the morning you’ll have a clear head and you might realize how crazy you were for thinking a metallic, fish-patterned sweater dress would ever be cute.
Secret #3: Shopping vs. Buying
My mom and I used to go to the mall all the time “just to shop” we would go in all our favorite stores and not buy a single thing. It was great because we could make mental lists of things we liked and then wait for them to go on sale or find them cheaper somewhere else. Its perfectly fine to online shop and make lists of things you absolutely need in your wardrobe come spring but not actually purchase anything right away. An easy way to do this is create wish lists on all your favorite websites so when you finally do have some Birthday money to spend you can revisit those lists without wasting time yet again online shopping. Bonus: if someone is asking you what to get you for a gift, you can just email them your list!
Secret #4: Utilize the shopping cart
When I’m online shopping, I always put things in the shopping cart. This might sound counterproductive but there is a strategy. First of all, don’t save your credit card information on the website or utilize anything that allows for “one-click shopping”. Not only can that be a security risk, but it also makes it so much easier to buy things without even thinking about it. Second, keep in mind how much money you actually have to spend on clothes and then put every piece of clothing you want in the cart and look at the total cost when you’re done. It might make you want to cry, but it also allows you to see that you don’t have the funds to buy all the things you want. However, the process of putting things in the cart and imagining them in different outfits will give you enough of a “shopping high” that you don’t feel like you’re missing out.
Beating a shopping binge is more about tricking yourself into thinking you’ve bought things rather than actually buying them. The rush you get from actual shopping isn’t the same as online shopping because the gratification is delayed. Use this to your advantage by tricking your brain into thinking you’ve actually bought something and there you go, you just escaped a binge.