“Touching clothes is just shopping foreplay. After all, you do not need to try a Mercedes to know that you would like one.” –Natalie Massenet
Shopping is pretty simple and straightforward, so to speak.
You select items to your liking, proceed to the checkout counter and then you are all set. Shopping can mean different things to different individuals. For some, it is only a matter of getting the things that they need, but there is also a fraction of us that would buy more than what is necessary to accommodate wants. In effect, it either satiates a fashion fancy or gets on a particular trend.
These individuals may get little thrills here and there, but to most women, there is nothing more exciting than the rush of euphoria you would feel whenever you get to try and buy a much-coveted fashion piece and add it to your collection of sartorial items. To a majority of women, shopping for clothes can mean so much more than just getting the pieces essential to your ensemble, it can be a way to right all the wrongs in their life insomuch that it has been considered as therapeutic by many. After all, they do not simply call it retail therapy for nothing. Unfortunately, while some women would be happy about their purchases at the moment, the same cannot be said by the end of the month when they take a peek at their credit statement. Indeed, while shopping for clothes can be a cathartic avenue for making yourself feel better at the moment, it does not bode well for your finances if you keep on racking up an exorbitant credit card bill. A temporary thrill should never justify a hefty end-of-the-month expense. If you find yourself to be constantly hitting your credit card limit on purchases of which majority were sartorial items, then you need to reassess your spending habits. Ask yourself if the rate you are spending each month is sustainable and from there, evaluate the way you handle your money to see whether there is something you can do to better leverage your finances. After all, your credit card should not be taken as a magic wand wherein every single time you swipe it; an item becomes free of charge. It might not cost you anything at the moment, but when those expenses pile up at the end of the month, you are guaranteed to have a very difficult time defraying your bill. In any case, if you do decide to take better control over your pecuniary situation, then you might want to cut back on splurging on wholesale diamond supply or retail clothes.
Here are some of the valuable things you would learn when you do decide to scale back your expenses on clothes and other sartorial items:
1.) You can be addicted to shopping
While this sentiment has been met with so much skepticism, it is actually quite true. After all, it was quite ludicrous to be addicted to something so inconsequential but, you would soon find that it is a reality. If you have never been the sort of person who shops then kudos to you, this might not actually be a dilemma. Unfortunately, if you have a habit of checking shops for items despite not needing anything and purchasing something thoughtlessly, then you might be well on your way on that road to shopping addiction. Shopping becomes an addiction when you do it without care and arbitrarily picking out items from the rack. You do not even necessarily have to feel the longing for those items, just the fact that you are able to buy it is enough. If you delineate your reasons for buying an item in the same way, then yes, you would realize shopping is an addiction.
2.) You will save a lot of money
This is the kind of realization that creeps in on you and is not really something you would notice immediately. However, if you have been going on a shopping spree almost every weekend, you would notice how your bank account will suddenly look a little meatier. If a few weeks can do that, imagine what months would do? One thing most shopaholics do not notice is that it is easy to disregard our expenses especially since we do it without regard and mostly splurge on little cheap items that we think would not make a dent on our bank accounts. However, even if you are not dropping thousands into a single purchase, know that your little purchases can easily add up—especially since shopping is a little more convenient and accessible nowadays with the advent of online retailers.
3.) You find other things to do at the weekend
If you have made the commitment to stop shopping for clothes (and would actively try to work on that endeavor), you would soon realize that there are other things to do in the weekend besides sinking money on clothes. Not only are these activities friendlier on your wallets, but you would realize that there are tons of them that are actually fun to do. You might even find yourself gravitating towards things you would not normally do such as going for a picnic with your friends or even just visiting the farmer’s market with them. In this regard, you would be more social and would be able to see your friends more often. Sure, shopping can be a group activity, but more often than not, it is an activity you do alone.
4.) You are less stressed out about your body
Let us face it: We are our biggest critics. Every single time we try on something, we tend to nitpick about certain things in our body or the dressing room itself. If we do not attribute our dissatisfaction of a certain sartorial item to the bad lighting or substandard mirror, we would then meticulously scrutinize every angle of yourself. From there, you tend to notice things that you do not like despite not having been aware of them before. You might draw conclusions such as your behind is a little too big, or your arms are a little off. More often than not, trying on clothes that we do not really need thrusts us into a situation wherein we are constrained to cavil over the slightest imperfections—regardless of how comfortable we are with our body. In this regard, buying clothes can be stressful as it can be rather difficult to find clothes that always fit right no matter your body type. Once you take a vacation from clothes shopping, you would soon realize that you would also be effectively taking a holiday away from the stress involved in purchasing clothes.
5.) You reunite with old things you never wear
Going on a clothes-shopping diet would also mean making use of what is currently available in your closets. In this regard, you would be compelled to do some organizing as sooner or later; it would become necessary—especially if you made the commitment to stop shopping for new stuff. Once you start reorganizing your closet, you would soon notice items that you might have neglected in the past, and you might find that you still love to wear these styles. In fact, there might be some items in your closet that you have not paid attention to in years and which you can commit to wearing now. At some point in the past, you loved wearing those things and just forgot about them. Now, you can revisit them and rock them once more.
Going on a clothes-shopping diet can be very rewarding. Once you pare down your monthly clothing expenses, you would realize how much more of your money you can dedicate to other things. Furthermore, it gives you so much more savings. Of course, no one is saying that you should stop buying clothes outright but if you find yourself getting a credit card bill shock every month-end, curbing your shopping frenzy might help you a lot. After all, there is so much more to this world than simply buying clothes.