How to stop impulse shopping in 6 steps.

Apr 2, 2018 | 2 comments

We all know the feeling; a bad day that makes us grasp for our creditcards. A new bag. A pair of new shoes. Or that thing from a sale pile in the supermarket you didn’t know you even missed. And what’s so bad about that anyway? In my opinion impulse purchases like these – especially those you just make because you try to cheer yourself up – is a really bad idea because you ignore the real problem and feelings that pushes you to do so. That way, you may be in your own way of becoming stronger, happier and changing these though patterns in the long run. Impulse purchases are dangerous because they seem like a great way to fix things to begin with, but the pleasure you feel when buying an item is very short. And often these items often end up just in the back of the closet anyway, maybe even with the tags still on. It’s not just a waste of the planet resources (maybe a bit exaggerated, but still), it’s also a waste of your own time and money. Money you could spend on other things that means more to you – a trip somewhere or the like. So today, I’d like to give you some tips to avoid the impulse purchases in the future, so you can focus on what really makes you happy instead!

Vi kender det allesammen; de dér dårlige dage, som kan få én til at crave noget nyt. En ny taske. Et par nye sko. Eller den dér dims fra rodebunken i Netto, som du ikke vidste du manglede. Og hvad er der så skidt ved det? I min optik er impulskøb som disse – især dem, som du netop foretager fordi du prøver på at “opmuntre” dig selv – en rigtig dårlig idé, fordi at du ikke tager hensyn til det virkelige problem. På den måde står du muligvis i vejen for dig selv, og de vaner og tankemønstre du på sigt egentlig gerne vil helt af med. Impulskøb er farlige fordi de virker som et plaster på såret til at begynde med, men den glæde du føler når du køber en genstand er meget kort. Og ofte ender disse genstande alligevel bare bagerst i skabet, måske i værste fald stadig med prisskiltet på. Det er ikke kun spild af planetens ressourcer (måske en anelse overdrevet, men alligevel), det er også spild af din egen tid og penge. Penge du kunne bruge på andre ting, som i virkeligheden betyder mere for dig – en rejse eller lignende. Så i dag vil jeg gerne give dig et par tips til, at undgå impulskøbene i fremtiden, så du kan fokusere på dét der i virkeligheden gør dig glad i stedet for!

1. Impulsive or compulsive

The first step is to recognize what it is, that makes you buy things you don’t need. So do you buy compulsively or impulsively? If you’re a compulsive shopper, it’s often your feelings that drive you to buy something. If you buy something impulsively, it means you see something in a store that you really desire at that moment, but the desire of this item will most likely disappear as soon as you’re home.

Første skridt på vejen er, at genkende hvad det oftest er, der får dig til at købe noget med hjem, som du ikke rigtig har brug for. Altså køber du kompulsivt eller impulsivt? Hvis du er en kompulsiv køber, så er det ofte dine følelser, som driver dig til, at købe noget. Hvis du køber noget impulsivt betyder det, at du ser noget i en butik som du virkelig gerne vil have i dét øjeblik, men betydningen af denne genstand vil højst sandsynligt forsvinde ligeså snart du er hjemme.

 

2. Ask yourself questions – want or need?

Before falling into the trap, be sure to ask yourself the following question; is this something I need, or is it more something I just want? Personally, I think there should be a good balance between the two in general. I don’t necessarily need that beige camel coat for my winter capsule because I already have one wool coat, but that doesn’t mean I wont get plenty of wear out of it anyway. Well-considered purchases are often the ones that win here.

Inden du hopper i fælden, så væn dig til, at stille dig selv følgende spørgsmål; er dette noget jeg har brug for, eller er det mere noget jeg gerne bare vil have? Personligt mener jeg, at der skal være en god balance mellem de to generelt. Jeg har ikke nødvendigvis brug for den der beige camel frakke til min vinter capsule fordi jeg allerede har én uldfrakke, men derfor kan den godt gøre mig glad alligevel. Velovervejede køb er ofte dét, der vinder her.

 

3. Make a shopping list and stick to it

In continuation of the before mentioned well-considered purchases, it may be a great help to make a shopping list. Whether it’s the weekly trip to the supermarket or it’s new additions for your wardrobe you’re looking for, make a list before you leave home and stick to this list as much as you can. That way you stay away from temptations, and you can focus on what you came for. You can read my guide on how to plan your wardrobe shopping right HERE.

I forlængelse af det foregående om velovervejede køb, så kan det være en stort hjælp, at lave en liste. Uanset om det er den ugentlige tur til supermarkedet eller det er nyt til garderoben du er på udkig efter – lav en liste hjemmefra, og hold dig så vidt muligt til den. Så sparer du dig selv for, at skulle modstå en masse unødvendige fristelser og kan i stedet gå målrettet efter de ting du faktisk tog afsted efter. Du kan læse min guide til, at planlægge nye garderobe tilføjelser lige HER.

 

 

4. Structure your way of shopping.

In addition to the list, it may also be helpful to choose one particular day of the week where you for example deal with grocery shopping. We make a weekly dinner plan and also do the grocery shopping every Saturday or Sunday morning for example. It helps us to eat healthier in our daily lives, but we also save money because we don’t have to go to the supermarket every single day, and thus we avoid all the temptations when we come home tired and hungry. In regards to wardrobe shopping, the capsule wardrobe system helps me keep shopping on a minimal level because I’m only “allowed” to add new things to my wardrobe when the season changes every 3 months. Most of the time I “shop” my own closet by adding things I have stored away from previous seasons and then I plan and consider maybe a few new purchase several months ahead, sometimes even maybe a whole year before I finally decide to add something to my wardrobe.

Udover listen kan det også være en hjælp, at vælge én bestemt dag på ugen, hvor du ordner fx madindkøb. Vi laver fx madplan og køber ind til ugen hver lørdag eller søndag formiddag. Det hjælper os både med, at spise sundere i det daglige, men vi sparer også penge fordi vi slipper for, at tage turen ned i supermarkedet hver eneste dag, hvor der jo som bekendt er virkelig mange ting, der kan friste. Især i en travl hverdag! Med hensyn til garderobe shopping, så hjælper capsule wardrobe systemet mig mig, at holde shoppingen på et minimalt plan, fordi jeg kun “må” tilføje nyt når sæsonen skifter hver 3. måned. Som oftest går jeg efter at “shoppe” ting jeg har gemt væk fra tidligere sæsoner, og som jeg altså i forvejen er i besiddelse af, og ellers holder jeg helt nye tilføjelser på et minimum. Jeg kan altså planlægge og overveje et nyt køb i flere måneder, indimellem går der måske endda et helt år før jeg endeligt beslutter mig for, at tilføje noget til min garderobe.

5. Don’t be fooled by sales.

It may be easier said than done, but stay as far away from sale season as possible if you are struggling to control yourself and the temptations become too many. That is one solution. The other solution is that you (with self-discipline) learn to handle sales more intentional. It’s no bad idea to save some money on something you might have bought anyway during a sale! You can, among other things, read my thoughts about Black Friday – the biggest and most crazy sale of the year and how to deal with it right HERE.

Det er måske lettere sagt end gjort, men hold dig langt væk fra udsalg, hvis du har svært ved at styre dig og fristelserne bliver for mange. Det er den éne løsning. Den anden løsning er, at du (med selvdiciplin) lærer, at håndtere udsalg mere målrettet. Det er slet ikke nogen dum idé, at spare nogle penge på noget, som du måske alligevel ville have købt! Du kan bl.a. læse mine tanker om Black Friday – årets største og mest crazy udsalg, og hvordan du kan forholde dig til det lige HER.

 

6. Deal with your vulnerability in other ways than shopping.

Last but not least, let’s talk about what kind of feelings that are the real reason for your vulnerability in that moment, where you decide to go out for a bit of retail therapy. For this, the acronym HALT that stands for hungry, angry, lonely, tired can be a great help. These are some of the most common difficult emotions that most of us regularly experience in a busy everyday life. But instead of grasping for your credit card, try to face these feelings and figure out another more constructive way of dealing with them. In a society where we are aiming for perfection – especially on social media – it can be difficult not to compare yourself with others. Especially when it comes to material goods! That Gucci bag that all the cool kids apparently have, why can’t it just magically fall down into your lap, so your life could become so much better? The truth is that the problem is not the bag but something you fight with inside yourself. So recognize when you have a bad day or perhaps longer period of your life, and do something actively to grow stronger instead. Face the real problem instead of running away from it! Maybe you even need professional help for a while, and that’s certainly not a shame. I know, for example, that if I’m in a bad mood or feeling tired, even a short 30 minute workout followed by a healthy meal always helps. So look at it like a way to recover and become stronger and more confident!

Sidst men ikke mindst, så lad os lige snakke lidt om hvad det egentlig er for nogle følelser der er på spil, når du enten kompulsivt eller impulsivt køber noget med hjem. Til dette kan akronymet HALT, som på engelsk står for hungry, angry, lonely, tired være en stor hjælp. Dette er nogle af de allermest almindelige følelser, som de fleste af os jævnligt oplever i en travl hverdag. Men i stedet for at gribe ud efter dit kreditkort, så prøv og se om du aktivt kan finde ud af, hvad du ellers kan gøre for at få det bedre. I et samfund der er styret af perfektionisme – især på de sociale medier – kan det være svært, ikke at sammenligne sig selv med andre. Især når det kommer til materielle goder! Den dér Gucci taske som alle the cool kids tilsyneladende har, hvorfor kan den heller ikke bare på magisk vis dumpe ned i skødet på dig, så dit liv kunne blive meget bedre? Sandheden er, at problemet ikke er tasken men noget du slås med inde i dig selv. Så anerkend når du har en dårlig dag eller måske en svært periode af dit liv, og gør i stedet noget for, at komme stærkere ud på den anden side. Se det rigtige problem i øjnene i stedet for, at løbe fra det! Måske har du endda brug for professionel hjælp i en periode, og det er der bestemt ingen skam i. Jeg véd fx, at hvis jeg er i dårligt humør eller føler mig træt og uoplagt, så hjælper en omgang træning (selv bare 30 minutter) efterfulgt af et sundt måltid næsten altid. Så tag dig som en god måde, at lære dig selv bedre at kende!

2 Comments

  1. Melanie

    Great tips! It´s important to shop items that fit to your wardrobe and your style!

    I love your outfit! It looks awesome :-*

    Melanie / http://www.goldzeitblog.de

    Reply
  2. maite

    thank you for open my eyes. very helpful!!!

    Reply

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