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11.2.16

The Shopping Diet : 101

Hey there,

I love shopping, like a lot, and this love has come to a point where it's more like an addiction. I totally relate to Becca in the movie Confession of a Shopaholic, and like her, I cannot be separated from my credit card, and getting rid of clothes I owned is very hard. However, last year, being away from home, and not living at my parent's house, basically having my own independent little life, made me realized I needed a budget... I hate the B word, it's so horrific but quite helpful I must admit when you're a 21 years old (almost 22, ouch) student, alone and broke. 

In order to contain my shopping addiction, and to be able to eat and keep living under an actual roof, with a bed, I needed to set up some limits for myself, my sanity, and my bank account. I quickly came up with what I call a Shopping Diet. It worked for awhile, and I could stick to my budget and my diet, as long as it was not Christmas time, good thing it's only once a year, huh? Just kidding. However, to keep going with this diet, like any sort of diet, I needed some support. You see, when you don't have much confidence, and shopping is basically your hobby, you can't do this by yourself. I found support when I was living in Dublin, because some of my friends were in the same situation as me. But, moving back to France... well let just say that I don't have the strengths of doing a budget when I'm the only one not buying anything. I'm weak... (sad face) 

Anyway, I thought that maybe if I wrote a little (let me honest, I don't do little) post about this Shopping Diet, maybe I'll find the motivation to get back to it, to, again save my bank account from my crazy addiction, and also to save money for the future (that's just a grown up thing to say...). So here's everything you need to know about the Shopping Diet!




* Prioritize your spendings 
You need to make a list of the different things you need, and the things you don't actually need but really want. For example, if you're living on your own, food is definitely more important than the new Retro Matte Liquid lipstick from Mac. If you're still living at your parent's, like me, and you don't have spendings, like paying the bills, paying for the grocery etc. you have to know what's more important at a specific time. For myself, this month, I need to get some Skincare products as well as haircare, which are all quite pricy products, so I don't think I'll be able to get the Jeans I have my eyes on. 

* Set up a Budget for everything 
Going along with your priority you need to set up a budget for your "not so important but still important for shopaholics" spendings. For example, I have a less than €100 budget for clothes, makeup up, and products, each months. I try to not spend this amount of money each month. Your budget can be €20, like it can be €200, it's all depending on you and your limits, and you bank account, of course. When I was living by myself, I didn't have an appropriate budget for shopping, I'll try to save €50, each month for whatever I would want to buy, once I was done paying for food, bills etc. Sometimes, I didn't have a budget... Of course, there's no such things as changing your budget, you need to stick to it! unless you get more income, then go ahead... It's a balance. 

* Make Wish List and Stick to it 
I tend to think that whenever you write a wish list, or even a list, it's easy to stick to it. So for shopping, I'll write down a list of things I'll want for each season. It helps me retain my shopping craving because whenever I go out shopping, I'll stick to what I actually wanted to buy and what's on my list, rather than random things I see on the store. Plus, I feel like if you make a wish list, it definitely contains the things you really want, and that you're actually going to wear. 

* One big day of Shopping per months or two depending on your budget 
My friend and I used to allow ourselves just one day of shopping per month, like one big full day of shopping, and that was our only day of the month. We did that for 2 months but then she snapped... and couldn't stick to it, so I was left alone, and I snapped as well. I guess it depends on your budget as well, you can either spend a full day of shopping spending all of your budget in one day, or you can spread it into several days... It's all about compromise after all.

* Stay Away from the Tentation 
Whenever you're not shopping, just stay away from the tentation. You don't need to see the sales, you don't need to receive notifications of new arrivals and seasonal sales, just get rid of any signs of tentation. When you're in stores, if you're tempted by trying something, just for fun, remind yourself, that you're strong and it will be unreasonable to buy something, especially, something you didn't know even exist before, and you don't need. Finding support is also very important, any kind of support... I used to find support in cupcakes, pilates and yoga, getting rid of the frustration, you know? 

* Compromise and sort out 
As I said, it's all about compromise. If you really want to buy a sweater, just get rid of one that has been dying in the back of your closet for ages. You need to stay organized, and you need to understand that you don't need that much clothes. I love to organized my closet. Once a month, I sort out my closet, I take everything out of the drawers, and see if I've worn certain items lately, if I didn't, I ask myself if I'll ever will, and I definitely won't, I'll just put them aside, and get rid of them. I hate to have my clothes falling out of my closet whenever I open it. So sorting out is a good thing to stay nit and organized. Think about your unworn pieces of clothes could benefit others. 

* Don't get influenced by your friends, influence them! 
I know how hard it is to go shopping with your friend when they really want to buy things but you don't have any money so you can't. I know the struggle, trust me. It's so hard to not snap when you're surrounded by people who are allowed to. Just remind yourself that you don't have to buy something just because someone is. Stay strong, and because you need support, and a little budget never hurt anybody, try to convince them to join you along the journey or struggle... 

* For those days you feel like snapping... 
Remember that you're a strong, independent, brave person, and that you don't need that much things in your closet, and if that doesn't work, well just find some new hobby, like reading, working out, cooking, baking, starting a blog, knitting, whatever makes you happy. 


I hope you found this post useful. I'll see you soon, but until then, you can follow me on Blog Lovin so you'll know exactly when my next posts are coming. 

Love,

Elsa. 




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