Emotional Shopping: Robbing Wallet/Filling Heart

Oh, my dear friend- "Emotional Shopping". 

We've held hand since mine could grasp money.

I am slowly learning to let you go. 

Sometimes when you reach out for my fingertips, 

mine yearn longingly for yours.

Look at all of the emotional tension of fashionable ladies shopping.
Movie: CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC (2009)

Why you shouldn’t shop when you’re emotional.

Emotional shopping is clearly a problem that I have, and something that I believe I have improved on through the years in which I have been a working adult. I could guess that maybe somehow you can relate to this problem as well. Maybe even a close friend you know has a problem with shopping a little bit too much. The point is that it is very easy to fall prey to a shopping coping mechanism as a way to deal with the harsh realities of everyday life. Think about it-how exhilarating is it when you bring home that new pair of shoes, or that new handbag? Don't you want to have that feeling all the time? Don't you?

Ain't that the damn (inconvenient and expensive) truth.

Yeah- don't fall into that damn trap. Just don't. (Trust me!)

But if you do, all is not lost. There are ways to realize that you are feeling into the trap of hyper-consumerism and ways to de-escalate and even mitigate. Before we get into that- we have to discuss the repercussions of emotional shopping.

Short term; You WILL always be emotionally disappointed after a few days.

The emotional buzz of shopping will more than likely fade after you get home and put the items away to where they belong in your house. I am not saying that pulling the items out again will not make you as happy as a first time, but the level of positive emotion will not be equal to that of the first time when you purchased it and it will surely sharply decline after. (And that's even if you actually use it and they don't pile up in the back of your closet or in the back of your bathroom drawers.....Guilty as charged....)

Long Term; Your emotional high of retail therapy WILL come at a steep financial cost.

If you have particular interest in high-cost physical goods such as fashion goods/cosmetics/skincare/etc then this is quite important to consider. An extra $80 of "treat-yourself" items spent every single payday adds up quite quickly. If you have 24 or 26 payroll cycles in the entire year that will come up to the cost of $1920 to $2080. You could probably use this money elsewhere in your life. Of course the amount  you spend per payroll cycle will vary. You can do the basic math to see how much you would spend if you shopped mindlessly every single weekend with your friends. The frequency of shopping and cost of shopping per time is the information that you need to consider. Be smart and try to save money where and when you can.

How to make the problem better

De-Escalate (before your buy);

-Ask an impartial friend if you need that item. And then ask again- do I REALLY need it? If you are unsure think about it again. And again. And again!

-Consider what you could do with the same amount of money for other things in your life.

-Calculate about how many hours you would have to work at your job in order to be able to afford the item at hand. Is it worth it?

-Think about if all of your bills have been paid (or all of your required expenses for the time period).

-Put the item back on the shelf and walk away. See how you feel.

-If your friend knows you well enough, they may snatch the item away from you to judge your reaction to see if you truly want to purchase it. 

Mitigate (after you buy);

-if you purchase the item, leave it in the bag with the receipt for a few days so that you can easily return it if you need to. Leave that bag in your car to make returning it an easy process. Once it is home, you're not likely to find the receipt to go return it.

-If you purchase the item, try to ACTUALLY it! You know that expensive skincare product you have? Maybe unbox it and put it on your vanity table to remind you to use it. (I know I have this issue, I buy tons and tons and tons of skincare, but somehow I am scared to use it. I don't know why I have such trepidations.) If you use it, it will be a good value. If you don't, its essentially the same as wasted money. YOU KNOW, we don't like to waste money around here.

The next time you are shopping, please consider if your purchase is for a purpose. 

If you have something at home that can do double-duty, try that before you buy!