6 Shopping Habits you NEED to break

It’s that time of year again where shopping temptations begin to creep up on us with Black Friday and Christmas sales everywhere we look and our inboxes being flooded with subscription newsletters on the hottest seasonal deals.

Though things might be a little different this year, many of us will no doubt not be sitting out on the sales and will be loading our (online) shopping baskets at the comfort of our homes. After all, shopping online has never been easier and who doesn’t love a good bargain? With this in mind, we’ve broken down some shopping habits which probably aren’t helping your saving habits so you can shop guilt-free and save money during this season:

Spending Less 

Okay, you’re probably thinking ‘doesn’t spending less help my savings?’, but hear us out. In some cases, it’s worth spending more money on high quality items you use or wear frequently. This is because cheaping out on staple pieces could end up costing you more if the item is of low quality, as you’d have to continuously replace them. So, it’s probably worth spending more on an item you know will last you a long time.

Impulse Spending 

Impulse spending is easier now more than ever with the ability to shop from wherever, whenever and make payments in a matter of seconds. However, the items we buy on impulse are usually things we don’t need or haven’t given any thought to. Therefore, we end up wasting our money on things of no use to us which (let’s be real) will probably sit in the back of our wardrobes collecting dust. If you’re an impulsive spender, try taking a few days to think about the item before going through with the purchase - you may end up not even wanting it.

Indulging In Every Sale 

Sales aren’t always our friends - and that’s the real tea. Many of us see ‘SALE’ and drop everything to shop. However, sales can sometimes drain your money instead of help you save your money. This is because when we see cheap price tags, we often get carried away adding as much as we like to our baskets and before we know it we’re faced with a large, and might we add, bank-breaking, total that we didn’t even plan on spending until we saw that notification coming through our phone (we’re triggered too).

Buying What You Can’t Afford 

This sounds pretty obvious but it's a common spending habit that many of us have. We tend to buy things we know we can’t afford, but with the likes of payment plans such as Klarna and our credit cards, we do it anyway. It’s important to be honest with yourself on what you can and can’t afford - as the saying goes ‘if you can’t buy it twice you can’t afford it’. Resist the temptation of spending a large sum that’ll totally drain your bank account and having you living paycheck to paycheck.

Shopping Without Directions 

 When shopping with no plan or budget set in place, it becomes very easy to blow all your money on whatever catches your fancy - it leaves you room to stroll through the aisles or scroll through your phone for any reason to buy something. Having a plan of what you want to buy will help you save money, think about your purchases prior and can even save you time. 

Shopping For Your Insta Feed 

Picture this: you’ve just been invited out and the first thing you do is go online to shop for an outfit you plan to wear. Sounds a bit too familiar? Many of us tend to shop for even the smallest of occasions, like a casual dinner with friends, just because we know we’re going to be posting on the ‘gram. However, shopping only for the occasion and never wearing the outfit again will have you wasting a lot of money. Instead, try to build out your wardrobe with staple pieces which can be reworn and restyled. Who says you can’t look your best on a budget?!

The bottom line is that it’s worth checking your habits every now and then to see what you’re doing which isn’t helping your saving goals. When shopping, it’s important to make conscious decisions even when tempted, however, know that there is nothing wrong with treating yourself now and again. Happy shopping! :)