Oh dear. We’re not sure how we missed Glamour’s “Should I Buy This?” infographic the first time around, but we just had a good chuckle. As any fashionista knows, shopper’s dilemma (a.k.a guilt) is a real struggle of #firstworldproblem proportions. You got a bonus: should you splurge on those Manolo’s that you’ve been drooling over for months? Or how about those hours spent in Sephora because obviously you REALLY need that shade of $36 lipgloss? (Also, sidenote, how in the WORLD can they charge $36 for a lipgloss?!)
And let’s talk about the rationalizing. The rationalizing is really something. “I’ll buy this dress, but I’ll take that other dress to designer consignment first thing tomorrow!” Oh, we understand #fashionproblems all too well. This infographic is the perfect way to poke fun at how much many (most) of us like shopping!
Now, in all seriousness, we feel like we’ve mastered shopper’s dilemma (mostly). Here are a few techniques we use to curb our love for shopping.
You Lived Without It Before, You’ll Continue To Live
If you feel like you absolutely must have something, think to yourself, “My life was great before I bought this and it will continue to be so without this item.” At the end of the day, if you don’t truly need the item and it’s going to kill your bank account, the stress is not worth it. Hold off until you can afford it.
Say No to Duplicates
Let’s be honest, you probably already have something very similar! Do you really need another little black dress? Probably not. Skip buying similar items that you already have.
Swap + Resale
If you find something you must absolutely have, think of an item you already own that you can resale and break even. This is a great technique because you can keep your wardrobe fresh without killing your bank account. No matter how much we love something, we do eventually get tired of it, so let your tired pieces be someone else’s treasure and vice versa! Our favorite site for scoring and resale of designer goods is The Real Real. The Real Real is super easy to use. You can sign up and start shopping and resaling in mere minutes. Become a member here. You won’t regret it.
Sample First
Instead of going on a cosmetics spending spree at Sephora, try samples of the products first. That “perfecting” foundation may totally irritate your skin and be a waste of money! Ask an associate to make a few samples for you and try the products before you purchase the full-size.
Use Ebates To Get Cash Back
What’s better than getting cash back on your purchases? Ebates is a site that partners with thousands of online stores to give you up to 10% cash back on your purchases! You shop and they send you a check in the mail. Yep, pretty awesome. You can sign up here and starting saving right now.
