Mindful Shopping-10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Buy!
We have all been there. Some of us, more times than not.
Taking a trip to the mall to purchase some new summer clothes (or while shopping online), without a plan in place, just blissfully shopping until your heart is content. Spending hours searching through rack after rack after rack at several stores, getting excited about everything you purchased. And when you get home, you try on everything again and excitedly and carefully hang up all of your new purchases, randomly in your closet.
And then several weeks later, it hits you.
Out of all of your purchases, only a couple of them have you actually worn. You go back to your purchases and try to find something to wear them with, only to find nothing and feel even more frustrated. And because you haven’t organized your closet, your items might not be within mind or plain view. So they get lost in the mix. You hang them back in your closet thinking you will go back to the mall and find something to wear with that new skirt because you, “don’t have anything to wear with it.”
However, the shirt you purchased to wear with it doesn’t look just right so you give up yet again.
Months later, you now have several pieces hanging in your closet that still have the tags on them and while you still have every intention of wearing them, they slowing become part of your 80%. You know, that percentage of your wardrobe that sits in your closet and never gets worn? Yea, that group.
In order to get a handle on shopping and ensure you only purchase pieces you are actually going to wear time and time again (I refer to it as your timeless pieces), you need to get on board with practicing what I call- Mindful Shopping.
There are 10 questions you need to ask yourself before you make that purchase. This process will ensure you are not randomly selecting pieces that will never match anything in your wardrobe and pieces that you will actually wear over and over and with multiple outfits. OK, here we go:
Do I already own something similar to this piece? If so, you probably don’t need it.
Can I wear it with multiple pieces in my wardrobe? If you can picture it with your favorite pair of jeans, that cute maxi skirt, and those killer dress pants and you do not own something similar than go for it.
Would I actually wear it? Meaning, do I see myself wearing this piece many times and love wearing it.
Does it flatter my body shape? If it doesn’t fit well in the right places, best to leave it at the store.
Is it made well? Meaning, is the fabric of good quality.
Can I actually afford it? Is it something that is going to break the bank.
Does the color flatter my skin undertone? This only applies to tops or dresses but important to ensure the color is flattering and doesn’t make you look washed out.
Will I regret purchasing it? Meaning, will I feel guilty only to return it or let it sit in my closet.
Is it worth the price? Different from #6 because if you cannot afford it, leave it. But is it worth the price you are being charged.
How will I feel if I wait and think about it? Will I still want it?
I also suggest you write down ideas on items you feel you are missing from your wardrobe and take it with you to the stores (or online shopping) so that you are not tempted to deviate from your list. If you do find something that is not on your list that you love, think through these 10 questions to determine if this is a mindful purchase or a random purchase that isn’t necessary.
By following these questions and ideas, you will be well on your way to shopping mindfully and ultimately, putting more money back in your bank account.
And who doesn’t like to have more money?
Have a great weekend!
XO,
Carrie