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13.4.16

10 Tips for All of those Shopaholics Out There

Hey there,

First of all, hey I'm Elsa, I'm a 21, almost 22, years old Shopaholic (that's when you say "Hello Elsa") and I haven't bought anything since... 6 hours ago... Welcome to my club of Happy and Shameless Shopaholics. Here we don't judge, we learn from each others! We live by the fact that it's just simply cruel to leave a sweater behind when you know it will be happy forever in your closet among your other adopted sweaters! 

I've uploaded this post months ago but I decided to update it with more actual things and as a continuous circle since I've already written about my Shopping diet, and my last Wish List.


The first step in dealing with your addiction is to admit you have one. I won't say that it's a "problem" like some people think. Loving to shop isn't a problem, it's a blessing! Who's gonna give the best Christmas presents if you don't take care of it and go out there and shop 'til you drop? Okay, sometimes it gets hard... Especially when you see the balance left on your bank account... Or when your credit card refuses to work when you're about to get the best deal ever... 

Trust me, I know... But as I said, I've learned and I've come up with some advices. And if you want to join the club, feel free to do so, I'll be so happy to welcome you, just click there.  


1) Thinking you have nothing to wear is not an excuse to shop! 

My Dad always says that I buy clothes because I'm too lazy to do my laundry (This is not true!). I'm a very complicated girl, and I tend to change my mind a lot, when it comes to style, makeup, Instagram's theme... So yes sometimes, I'm sick of everything I own in my closet and go into the "Nothing to wear" phase.  My "Nothing to Wear" issue has two cases: when I don't want to wear anything that I own, and just want something that I saw on someone, OR when I want to wear too much things and don't know what to choose... 

I have those days where I spend 30 minutes, if not even more, trying to find something to wear, and when I'm so fed up about the time I spend sitting in front of my closet, I go shopping. But trust me it's not solving the problem, because I'm gonna get sick of the things I bought 2 weeks later and go back to that dark place in the Nothing To Wear world...  My advice here is to look closely at what you own. Mix things, customize, accessorize, wear the thing as you want to wear it! At the end of the day it's about you feeling confident in your own clothes, own style and skin.


2) Just because something looks good on you doesn't mean you have to get it. It's not a matter of life or death... 

I remember this time when I tried a Christmassy sweater with penguins all over it from Topshop. Yep it looked good, yep it was cute and fun, but nope it wasn't worth the price, especially since I was not going to wear the sweater after Christmas. Sometimes you just need to step back and think about if and when you're going to wear or use the thing you're about to buy. Is it worth the price you're about to pay?  Give yourself some time to think, don't run to the cashier for something who looks like it has been made for you but you're never going to wear. 


3) Think before you buy. Don't ask yourself "Do you really need this?", because of course you do! 

Ask yourself the right questions! As I said above, it's not about "needing something" because deep down you know you don't need it, but you still want to get it. Shopaholics are really generous people, they don't just leave a piece of clothing behind. Okay, let's be serious now, just ask yourself, first of all, is it really reasonable to buy this or that? Will it affect your bank account or you mental well-being? Do you know the damages of a purchase you regret? I do... and it's days and days of guilt and anxiety. Make the right decision. 


4) Breathe in, breathe out, relax, don't take decision in a rush

Unless you're a 100% sure and confident about your purchase, don't rush! Take your time, think, focus, create little outfits in your head to make sure the thing you're about to buy is a "go for it". Tanya Burr said that she asks herself if she's going to wear the item she picked more than 30 times before she buys it. It doesn't matter if you stay an hour in the shop taking things and putting them back, as long as you're sure about your purchase. Ask for advices, send pictures to your friends, ask someone to come with you, ask someone who has an HONEST AND OBJECTIVE point of view. Yes, being objective and honest is important because you don't want to bring someone who's gonna tell you the color of the dress makes your eyes popped and ignore the fact that the cut of the dress looks awful. Also, don't bring someone, who tells you that "No this dress isn't short" when you can't even bend over. 


5) Look for the signs! 

Signs are everywhere, a 10% additional discount to an already 50% discount on a item is a sign, this item screams at you! Don't leave it behind! Also, your credit card not working is also a sign. Whether it's your credit card or the machine whose not working, it's not an excuse to get some cash, it's a sign you need to let go and get the hell out! 

This skirt you had your eyes on for months is not on stock anymore but there's one size left on the mannequin and it's your size? It is a sign! The only size left for the white T-shirt you wanted to get is covered with foundations marking? That's a sign! Yes you can still clean it, but you don't pay for something that is damaged, right? Same thing here, you don't pay for something that is not clean and knit.

If you're not sure about an item you need to ask for someone advices. But if it's still not good enough for you, look for the signs. If there's no sign at all, just put it back, go back home, sleep on it, think about it for a few days and if you feel like you're sure about it, go for it! But if not, let go.


6) A good shopaholic knows when it's time to let go... 

A good shopaholic knows when it's time to stop and when it's the most reasonable time to let go. I think the greatest moment when you're a shopaholic is when you're capable to admit that "none of this is necessary" and you'll feel just as fine if you don't have this particular item in your life.

Let go because this skirt is definitely too short and too expensive, let go because this sweater you wanted for such a long time is way too small for you. Let go of that sweater you definitely won't wear, that you took in the first place because your shopping buddy was buying something and you didn't want to feel left out in all that shopping fun. Be reasonable, not because someone tells you to be but because you want to and you understand why it is important. And most importantly let go of those things that feel alone and left out in your closet. If you're not wearing them, they can make someone else happy. Also, let go of that discounted cashmere sweater! She clearly saw it before you! (Getting into a fight with someone for a clothing item, is clearly a sign that you shouldn't get it btw)


7) List, list, list!

I love to make lists. I make lists for anything and I love to write them on paper, on my phone, on a napkin, anywhere, anytime. I love lists! I feel like it's a great way to stay organized, whether it's organizing your day, or your shopping program. I make lists when I have some things in mind (stick in my mind for more than 2 weeks) that I really want to get, like lipsticks from Mac, or clothing items. It's similar to a Wish List, except that no one but you can see it, and that it's, thus, for yourself only. If you want to learn more about my Shopping diet and wish list you can go over here and here.


8) No need to feel guilty, what is done is done... Move on!

Feeling guilty is useless. If you regret buying something, and regret it so badly that you consider returning it, return it and move on (again, a memo for myself). Stop feeling guilty and anxious because you spent too much money on something that you (didn't need) thought you wanted but really didn't.  It's okay, there's no one to say "I told you so" except for yourself, and the "I told you so" phrase has really not point, but for the person, who tells you that, to feel superior. Forgive yourself, and just go on a shopping diet for awhile. 


9) Set yourself some limits and objectives, and let your credit card breathe! 

An objective is "not spending more than 80€ on this shopping trip" or "one Shop 'Til You Drop shopping session a month" or saying "If you buy this, you're not buying this or this".  Find what's working for you and your bank account. Be on a budget even when you don't really need to. It's great because it teaches you how to remain reasonable when it comes to shopping, and it makes you save money for something bigger and greater! 

My Boyfriend's sister, Clara, and myself have set ourselves a limit of not going to more than one "Shop till your Drop" shopping session. We have allowed ourselves one "crazy shopaholic moment" one time a month in our favorite stores. Okay it could work better for us, it's really hard to stick to it...


10) Shopping for others is not an excuse to get something for yourself... Unfortunately... 

I'm sorry, I know I've ruined all your hopes to get this new dress from Zara's new collection since you were going to get a present for your sister's birthday anyway... It was very and it is still very hard for me not to look at things for myself when I go shopping for someone. I mastered the art of shopping for someone as an excuse for shopping for myself. I went even farer, shopping for people at shops where I normally shop and where I'm sure to find something for myself... It's literally just an excuse to shop.

In those cases, if you have a limited budget like me, you have the choice to either get something amazing for someone you love OR to get something less awesome for that person and get something for you as well.  So when I go shopping for someone, I don't look at things I might like for myself, I look at things people might like as a gift. And if I end up looking at things for myself, I don't buy anything, I just keep it in mind for my monthly Shop 'til you Drop session, or for my personal Wish List.


Anyway, I hope you liked this blog post. Feel free to join the club and the great adventures of the Shopping Diet, we are nice and even though we don't have cupcakes, we do have some cute pictures of puppies and unicorns.

Don't forget to follow me on Blog Lovin so you'll know exactly when my next posts are coming!

I'll see you soon.

Love,

Elsa.




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