5 Times You Shouldn’t Go Shopping

Last year I shared a bunch of posts about my no shopping challenge.

Believe it or not, there are times when shopping is not a great idea.  Keep reading to see five times you shouldn’t go shopping!

When you’re bored

Shopping can be a fun way to spend an afternoon with friends but isn’t the best activity when you just need to pass the time. Mainly because you will probably end up spending money where you didn’t plan to and will just get home and think “why the heck did I buy this?”

When you’re stressed or emotional

Emotional shopping is rarely smart shopping. Snagging a new item on sale (or not) gives you a rush of oxytocin but that happy feeling won’t last. Try to deal with whatever’s at the root cause of your stress and find other outlets that still give you that kick of oxytocin (working out is a cheaper option)

On Impulse

We’ve all been there. You’re going about your day and you see something in a store window that just draws you in. Maybe it’s a sale sign; maybe it’s a perfectly dressed mannequin. This is basically visual marketing at its finest and yes, it works. I find this to be the case for me when I have to do a return at one store, another is always trying to pull me in and make a quick store run into an all-out shopping trip.

On Payday

Your bank account is freshly filled and you’ve got that Friday feeling! Just make sure that feeling doesn’t have you stopping into Nordstrom and making a couple unexpected splurges because you’re feeling like a baller. Make sure you get all the necessary bills and payments out of the way before you head to the mall (or .com checkout if you’re an online shopper like me). Making unplanned shopping trips right after you’ve been paid can have you spending more of your hard-earned dollars AND leave you short later on in the month. No Bueno.

Just Because You Have A Store Card

Just because you have a store credit card, doesn’t mean that you have to always shop at that store. Point blank period. Sure it’s nice to get cash back or better deals when you’re already a regular shopper at a certain store but those incentives are created to get you to shop more. Just because there are flash-sale-double-points-extravaganza (or whatever the deal is this week), doesn’t mean you have to participate every time. They’ll have another incentive within a couple months and you can plan your shopping around those.

Basically shopping without a plan generally leads to more spending. Let’s all try to shop with intention for the remainder of 2017!

Want more shopping and saving tips? Check out this post about my No-Shopping Challenge!

Until next time,
Ana Luiza

SHIRT: H&M // JACKET: old, similar here // JEANS: Paige // SHOES: old, similar here // BAG: Clare V (similar here for under $50!)// LIPS: Nars ‘Heatwave’ // WATCH: Charming Charlie c/o // SHADES: Amazon (under $10)

Three of our favorite looks from last week’s ankle boots linkup were Alicia of Behind the Pearls, Grace of  Color and Grace, and Mary Leigh of What Mama Wore