I don’t have clothes. Why do I feel like every girl says this at least once every week whilst having a closet or wardrobe filled with clothes? some guys are also guilty of impulse shopping, although I think women are more prone to this.
A while back, I realized I had a problem that needed to be addressed. Every time I had an outing, I would always want to purchase a new item of clothing. Who do I think I am that I won’t repeat my clothes? I had to give myself a pep talk, no need for new clothes for every outing. Reason being, I’m not an influencer, I don’t get clothes for free. There’s absolutely no reason to keep buying new clothes for every occasion. This mentality is wasteful and uneconomical.
I blame fast fashion for creating this need for new clothes all the time .They have their different marketing gimmicks and techniques to create an urgency to shop. Brands make the clothes relatively affordable that we are tempted to always buy new ones. There’s always a sale or you keep seeing last item and in panic or excitement end up buying unnecessary items, It is a trap! Impulse shopping encourages wasteful spending, hoarding and clutter. I realized that whenever I would have a wardrobe clear out, there would be clothes that have only be worn once or twice or totally out of vogue and I now hate.
It is good to treat yourself to new items sometimes but if you are feeling sad or depressed don’t resort to retail therapy, this will make you spend unnecessarily. Same goes to when you excited, don’t get carried away and over spend, be reasonable, we are adults now.
Personally, I don’t necessarily follow trends. I buy clothes I like and not cause it’s trendy. Following trends is tricky, I still have a white shirt, I bought two years ago but never worn all in the name of trend. There should always be an end goal while making clothes purchase, some great tips to keep in mind if you are on a budget like me includes the following; ensure you try to buy pieces that can be worn across all seasons. seasonal clothes should be bought too, but in moderation we still like fashion). Challenge yourself to see how many styles you can recreate from an outfit. Another helpful tip is knowing your style, understanding you fashion style and what suits your body type will save you from buying random pieces. It is extremely important to have a budget for the amount you intend to spend on clothes for a particular month and stick to it. Don’t buy too many patterned clothes, solid colours are easier to style. You do not have to buy the same items in different colours, branch out and try other things. Lastly, create a wish list, update it from time to time and make use of it often, it helps to limit impulse shopping problem. Remember, new styles are out every time and it isn’t visible to keep up except you are a fashion blogger.
On the flip side, if you ever think you’ll like to venture into fashion influencing or blogging, you need to invest in yourself before brands begin to notice you and send you free pieces. One way to eliminate guilt of constantly shopping is to sell the clothes back on Depop or any other place of choice or give to charity.
I think the greatest tip would be to invest in quality pieces, you’ll always have them. I have a black coat that I bring out every winter, I’ve had it for five years and it is still in good shape. sadly, I need a new one as I can barely fit into it anymore.
shopping online is a great way to get carried away, it is important to stay grounded. I hope we all find ways to defeat our common enemy, impulse shopping. I am still struggling with this terrible habit but taking it one day at a time. p.s impulse shopping cuts across different categories, I only chose to focus this post on clothes as that is what I struggle with most. Thank you for reading.
Ronkeslens 