How to stop overspending during the holidays (and beyond)
It has begun….!!
60% off sale ends today
15% off your entire order
PRE-BLACK FRIDAY SALE 💥 Get 50% off!
3-2-1: Our biggest sale is on❗️
This is just a handful of the bajillion Black Friday emails subject lines singing their siren songs to me this week!
Look familiar?
Did you click on any of those sales?
Find yourself losing 15-, 20-, 30- minutes or even hours looking for gifts?
Then…
Once you found the gifts you were looking for, you stayed on the site just a little longer to find something for yourself?
Admit it! I won’t tell.
Or, you had just $5 to get the free shipping offer so searched for something more – and ended up spending an additional $200!
No judgment.
I know you’ve done it.
I know…. because I’ve done it too!
Psst… I currently have a $125 perfume (that I know I don’t need) in an online shopping cart. 🤫
Today I want to talk about the urge we have over the holidays to overspend.
An urge is the desire to buy something when you know you don’t need it or have the money or the space in your home for it.
Shopping urges get particularly strong at this time of year.
It’s lunchtime, you’re having a stressful day at work, so you pop online to check out the latest trends on Net-a-porter.
Or maybe it’s after dinner and you’re scrolling your IG feed. Of course, your phone knows you were on Net-a-porter earlier so it shows you an ad for YOOX. Then, 2 hours later, you find yourself dazed with an additional $487.50 charge on your credit card.
How does it happen?
It’s your mind thinking one or all of the following:
I’ve had a long day and I deserve it.
I don’t ever get any ‘me’ time.
Having this thing will make me happier.
You know you can’t afford the thing or already have a home overflowing with things, but you want it anyway.
You think buying this thing will make your life better.
Your mind tells you this – and that is the urge.
Other ways overspending happens over the holidays:
I already mentioned that $5 away from free shipping thing….
Or, you’re thinking ahead to seeing your family or friends this holiday – and you want to impress them with just how chic and cool you are. And have the perfect outfit will convince them of that, right? So you HAVE TO buy something new because you just “don’t have anything to wear.”
Or, you’ve simply just run out of steam at work, are bored, or avoiding doing a certain project. You take “a quick personal break” online. Shopping! You tell yourself you deserve it.
Shopping gives you a little dopamine hit.
It’s like heroine for your brain – that quick, fleeting moment of pleasure when you hit that “BUY NOW” button.
How to overcome the urge to shop
Step one is to just become aware of what you’re thinking when you shop.
Start to identify what your shopping triggers are. Look for patterns.
Is it when…
you’re avoiding doing something or procrastinating at work?
you’re unwinding after a long day?
something upsetting happens in life?
you’re feeling a little depressed?
you’re just bored and need a '‘pick me up?”
Step 2: After you become aware of your thinking…
Watch for patterns
For me, it’s when I’m feeling overwhelmed by a project I need to work on and I want to avoid it. I might find myself opening a browser window and adding items to my cart.
I’ve now learned to notice it happening and am able to stop and close the browser window after a 4-5 minute break. I like to call it ‘window shopping.’
So, what are your triggers?
Once you identify your triggers – you can learn to handle your urges to shop….
HOW to stop your urge to shop
The next time you catch yourself shopping, I want you to stop and ask yourself:
When I buy something for myself, that allows me to feel… what?
Is it that you think you will be a cooler, more attractive, more interesting person if you own this thing?
Or are you just hoping for that dopamine-hit, boost of energy you get from buying it?
Your urge to shop is trying to fulfill a need you have.
Once you figure out what that need is, you can learn to fulfill that need in other ways… ways that don’t put you in credit card debt or fill your house with too much stuff!
So figure out what that is because when you know what you really need, what you’re really looking for, then you can learn to fulfill that need in other ways.
This is something I work with my clients on all the time!
You can learn to stop being a helpless victim to your urges and stop overshopping.
I can help you in my 1:1, personal coaching program—enrolling now!
Find out how clutter coaching can help you stop overshopping
You’ll learn to love your life with less stuff!
Click here to book a free, no obligation 40-minute call with me.
This is your chance to ask me anything and find out how I can help you clear the clutter, get organized, and design a home & life you love.