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How to Make Shopping Stress Free
From:
Susan Cernek
42 days 4 hours 27 minutes ago
 Ahhh shopping: The ultimate escape. Whether it be finding the perfect date dress or simply updating the 9-to-5 uniform, the trying and buying experience can be an exhilarating event. However, as many of us know, it can also be a drain on the self-esteem and savings. To make your next store-hopping trip more productive and pleasant one, try a few of these helpful hints:
Don’t be peer-pressured.
Few things are as enjoyable as shopping with friends, but sometimes having your pals around can lead to unnecessary purchases. If you really aren’t sure about that trendy new top or dress your BFF swears you look sexy in, don’t be afraid to put it on hold at the register and ponder it before you purchase. True friends won’t be offended if you don’t take their style advice without some consideration, and waiting a few more minutes before buying will help ensure that it’s an item you really want and will wear.
Make a list and check it twice.
Before hitting the mall or your favorite department store, size up your closet to see what it is you really need. Brushing up on your wardrobe just before you go on a buying spree may prevent you from buying a 4th black sweater, and remind you that you still don’t have the right blouse to go with that cool new skirt. Having a goal for your shopping trip will also help to keep you from getting too overwhelmed by all the tantalizing new trends.
Don’t look at the tags.
I don’t mean the price-tags, I mean the size tags. Shopping can be a self-defeating experience you are too intent on finding out what’s the smallest garment size you can slip into. To avoid traumatic experiences in the dressing room, choose a few sizes of the same garment and try them all on—without checking to see what size it is you’re slipping into. Simply choose the version that fits best and look to see which size it is until you’re at home in front of the mirror, marveling at how good you look in your new threads. After all, much like one’s age, clothing sizes are just a number.
If you really can’t afford to be shopping, leave the credit cards at home.
You can’t fully enjoy a purchase—even if said purchase is a pair of sexy Louboutins—if seeing it brings on pangs of buyer’s remorse. To avoid ODing on guilty pleasures—not to mention maxing out budget—limit your shopping possibilities by keeping your credit cards at home. After a few hours of enjoying guilt-free window shopping and still-full bank account, you’ll thank yourself for sure.
Leave yourself notes—mean ones.
Saving can be hard to do, especially when there's so many tempting bags, shoes, and accessories to be found, so it's helpful to have reminders of what all that sacrifice is for. One savvy, penny-saver friend I know puts post-its on her credit cards that says That purchase or a house of your own? or Do you really need that? That way, every time she goes to make a splurge, she’s reminded of why she’s trying so hard to save. More often than not, she ends up buying something that's more within her budget or walks away happily empty-handed.
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cicimonkey95
| 28 Jun 08 at 7:55 pm
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This is really great information. I wish I would have read this yesterday before I blew about about $150 on Michigan avenue the other day. I now know a few simple tricks to keep me from following my terrible spending habits!
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