Happy 2019 everybody! Hope y’all are having a great start of the year and are doing well with your new year resolutions so far! One of my resolutions for 2019, as funny and unpredictable as it may sound like, is “don’t buy things that I’ll regret buying”. As someone who is quite into fashion and makeup, I enjoy keeping up with the trends, exploring my own style and experimenting with new things from time to time. But I’ve also realized that I do not want to spend money on and hold up to an excessive number of things. It is really the past two years of living away from home for college that allowed me to think hard about the way I manage my life and my expenditures. As much as I think perusing a more minimalist approach is in my best interest, shopping habit is still something quite personal and should be adjusted according to people’s own conditions and likings.
Why am I toning down shopping in 2019?
I have more than enough.
This is probably the first and foremost reason that drives me to become a mindful shopper. Every time when I pack, move or deep clean the back of my drawers at home, I find three unopened toothbrushes, unworn clothes that I bought five years ago and makeup products that have definitely expired. When I add new things to my collection, I tend to forget about the old ones I own—even those I do like. I genuinely felt a bit guilty about everything I had to get rid of in 2018 and the amount of waste I created by not making use of the things I bought and letting them go bad.
I want to spend less time on unnecessary decisions.
Decision-making is an energy-consuming process and having an overwhelming number of choices is very counterproductive. Picking outfit for the day is fun but deciding between three similar skinny black jeans and five pinky nude lipsticks is not so much.
Organizing and moving is already exhausting.
For all people living on campus, the yearly move-out is usually when we discover how much junk we have collected throughout the year. Moving out forces me to go through all my stuff and declutter at least once a year, but I often wonder if it would be better to not buy them in the first place. I am now at a point of life that I know I will be moving around and not settling down for the next five or more years, so guess I’ll just do myself a favor and not let my belongings grow to a ridiculous amount.
I do not really enjoy impulse buying.
I do find making purchase stress relieving and receiving packages in the mail extremely exciting. But too often I make impulsive purchase decisions when I am in a mood sway rather than because I really need or like a certain product. The majority of my impulse purchases in 2018 only ended up adding to the mess I already have and making me feel bad every time I see them.
I spend more than I earn.
Truthful confession from a full-time college student. I make some pocket money from part-time jobs, but it is nowhere close to the sum of my tuition, meal plan and daily expenditure. Although my shopping habit has never been to the point that it breaks the band, I still think being additionally thoughtful on money is of my responsibility.
How I want to shop in 2019?
Shop as needed.
Being a minimalist shopper is really about being disciplined and thoroughly assessing my intentions behind every potential purchase. Do I really need it right now? Do I genuinely like it or am I buying it because I’m bored? How often will I use it? Do I already own something that is virtually the same with the one I’m considering buying? All these questions should help me reduce the chance to buy things that I’ll regret buying shortly after.
Quality instead of quantity.
A meaningful purchase should add value, not clutter, to one’s daily life. The things that I regret buying are not necessarily the expensive purchases but those I do not use. I have concluded that the things I value the most are the so-called staple pieces, those have been with me for years but still hold a special place in my heart. I would like to become a smarter shopper by buying less in quantity but better in quality and invest in things that I know will last me for a while.
Take note of things I have.
Cutting down the incoming things gives me a chance to notice all of the stuff that already exists in my life and make the best use out of them. It means not only checking how many brand-new toothbrushes I have before making a Target run, but also being more creative with my wardrobe and utilizing a piece of cloth in as many ways as possible.
Wait awhile before making the purchase.
I want to avoid impulsive purchase, by all means. I know I am very likely to be sucked into something for a couple of days after seeing it in an advertisement or YouTube video, and then that feeling goes away just a bit later. Adding it into the wish list and waiting for say 24 hours before clicking on that “proceed to checkout” can give me the time to ponder over this purchase and decide its true value.