If my mother taught me one thing, it’s never to buy anything at full price. As a girl with a bit of a shopping problem, this was an excellent lesson for me. Unfortunately, when the holidays come around, and everything is on sale, there are no limits to what I can buy, which has led me to lie awake at 2:30 a.m., filling my online shopping cart with more and more items. The lower the price, the cuter every sweater, scarf and dress becomes, and the more I feel that I absolutely need it.
It is one thing to come across a great sale and purchase something that I have had my eye on for a while, but the problem is that in searching for the item I have been wanting, everything else catches my eye, and suddenly, my bag total has gone from a mere $35 to nearly $300.
Cute clothes at a low price will always entice me, and before pressing the “place order” button, I ask myself if I really need what I’m about to buy; the answer is always no. But then I think to myself, I don’t need anything at all, so asking myself if I need something is irrelevant to deciding whether to purchase something because nothing is a necessity. At this point, all my logic goes out the window. Soon enough, I received a confirmation email from Urban Outfitters alerting me that they had received my order.
I’ve fallen victim time and time again to Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, talking myself into purchasing all that my heart desires. This year, though, I didn’t want to be a perfect consumer.
When my favorite stores started sending me text notifications about my early access to their big Black Friday sale, I can’t lie; I did feel that rush of excitement that I sickeningly get from browsing dozens of pages of women’s clothing. However, I was determined to restrict myself from going overboard, and I think I found the trick to do so.
It would be crazy to prevent myself from engaging in the sale at all, so of course, I took a peek at everything the sales had to offer: beautiful duvet covers adorned with delicate bows, flowy babydoll tops with pink lace trim, cozy hoodie and sweatpants sets that would be perfect for the airport, medium-impact sports bras in a shade of red that I know would compliment my skin – the list could really go on.
I added everything I loved to my cart, but instead of grabbing my debit card and typing in my billing address, I stared at each item, really stepping back to think about what it would add to my life. Would an open-back top secured with a bow and an adorable blueberry print be cute in the summer? Yes! Is it winter right now? Also yes. Would I wear it more than once a month, even if it was the season for it? No!
These considerations may be typical for the average person, but as someone who will swipe away when confronted with anything I find appealing, even asking myself these questions was a big step for me and served as a reality check.
Slowly, I removed items from my cart, but I was still left with pieces that I couldn’t seem to forget about. However, the shame I felt deep down only further validated the fact that I knew I was just buying things to buy them, not because I truly desired them.
Still, I kept them in my cart. Only this time, I let a few days pass by, deciding to sleep on it before going through with the purchase. When I finally revisited my virtual shopping bag, I was mortified to find that everything was sold out due to the great discounts. My horror was quickly replaced with relief that I wouldn’t have to decide to buy my cart or not after all, as nothing was available anyway.
It was when I discovered my sold-out shopping cart that I had an epiphany: If I just let some time go by, the items I love will be snatched up by other shoppers, or the sale will end before I get the chance to buy anything!
My lack of self-control when it comes to shopping may sound insane, and I’m sure it’s ridiculous to many people how much effort it takes me to resist holiday sales, but I know that girls who also love to shop can understand.
Because consumerism is so deeply ingrained into our culture, it’s easy to forget what a privilege it is to even consider shopping for pleasure. So, this year, I want to acknowledge how blessed I am to have a closet full of options and focus on getting the most use out of everything I already have. I encourage my fellow shopaholics to do the same this holiday season.