Your habits formed over decades. They were shaped by the people who raised us, our friends, and the communities that we’ve lived in. You have habits around how you eat, how you work, and you even have habits around how you spend money. Building a new habit works best when we create boundaries around ourselves that make it easier. Here are 5 ways to set yourself up for success when it comes to changing your shopping habits:
Turn off the notifications for ALL shopping apps on your phone.
We have an innate fear of missing out (hence the term, FOMO) which is why those little notifications have so much power over us. Turn. Them. OFF!
If you find that you’re still checking those apps for steals and deals even without the notifications it’s time to delete the app. I know you don’t want to, but that’s exactly why you need to. If you want to defeat an old habit you have to remove the thing enabling it to stay.
It’s nearly impossible to cut back on sugar when there’s a big colorful bowl of candy at your fingertips all day (ask anyone who’s worked in an office, they’ll back me up on this!) Those apps are just as enticing as that bowl of KitKats, so get rid of them.
Unsubscribe from all retailer emails.
Here comes that fear of missing out again. You’re probably telling yourself that all those sale emails help save you money, right? I mean, I agree. You can get really incredible deals sometimes!
But hear me out for just a minute.
Let’s say you get an email that a trendy brand of yoga pants that normally sells for $100 is part of a 50% off sale. WOW! That quite a steal… if you were actually looking to buy this specific brand of yoga pants. But you weren’t looking for yoga pants at all. Remember, you were checking your inbox and you just happened to notice this deal. You most likely convinced yourself that it would be silly not to buy the pants because the deal was too good to pass up (and they are super cute!).
If any of that sounded familiar then I’m gonna need you to unsubscribe from all those emails. Give it 30 days, as a test. After 30 days, if you really missed out on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, resubscribe to the stores that make sense for you.
One example could be that as an artist you want to know when the paint you use is on sale so you can stock up. That’s an email you would want to receive! But if you find yourself justifying random one-off purchases for things you weren’t shopping for in the first place, that’s a sign that you’re acting on impulse.
Stop shopping as a hobby.
This one is hard for a lot of people. As shopping malls sprouted up across America in the ’70s and ’80s, going shopping went from a necessary thing you did to a leisure activity. Shopping quickly became America’s favorite pastime. So if shopping is one of your favorite ways to pass the time, you’re not alone.
For the next 30-60 days commit to yourself that you will only shop when there is something you need to buy. Read that again, it said, “need to buy”. That means for the next 1-2 months you will steer clear of TJ Maxx, you will not dawdle in the housewares aisles at Target, and you’ll stop scrolling through Facebook Marketplace out of boredom. Stop shopping as a way to fill the time.
What will you do instead? Literally anything else. I didn’t say you had to take up CrossFit or start writing a book. Go binge-watch Stranger Things! Go play with the dog. Do whatever. Just don’t go shopping.
Order your groceries online.
Even in our small rural town, we can order groceries for pick up or delivery, so you most likely have this option available to you too. And even with the extra fee, I save money buying groceries this way. Like most people, when I go grocery shopping I buy items that are not on my list. This happens 100% of the time. If I had to guess, it easily costs me an extra $40-50 when I go into the store vs. buying online.
I started ordering my groceries for pickup strictly as a way to save time during a, particularly busy season. I didn’t realize until later how much money we actually saved by ordering our groceries ahead of time. If sticking to your grocery list is next to impossible, try ordering your groceries online next time.
Unfollow people on social media.
I know their stuff is cute. I know they post hilarious memes. I know you want to support them, but while you’re changing your money habits you need to support you. This means unfollowing, unliking, un-whatevering all the people on social media that make you want to spend money. This could also mean taking a social media sabbatical while you’re figuring things out.
The point to all of this is that I want you to do whatever you need to to help ensure that your new habits take root and grow.
Are you ready to get serious about your money habits?