Fight the urge to shop

I used to get really caught up un the urge to shop and I think the root cause to that was that I often have felt so insecure and just wanted to fit in with everybody else and therefore I “needed” to buy myself a new personality. Surprisingly, you don’t automatically become a new person in just because you bought a new jumper. Jokes aside, I can still find myself urged to shop but I try remind myself of six tips:

Would I buy this if it cost twice as much?
This statement helps me evaluate if I only want it because it’s cheap or if it actually will add value to my life. 

Does it work with the things I already own?
I ask myself this mostly when it comes to clothing and furniture. If it is a piece of clothing I try to imagine it together with three pieces I already own. 

If I buy this I have to get rid of something equivalent.
Will this new item make for example your home better or prettier than an item I already own? And more importantly: am I prepared to get rid of something I own and replace it with this new piece?

Shopping is often connected to feelings.
Society wants us to consume new things as often as humanly possible. We are often told that “THAT” specific item is missing from our lives and without it we can’t be happy, beautiful, successful or… So when the urge to shop comes, ask yourself why you want to buy something new. Is it really for you?

Inspire yourself.
Remind yourself about why you want to avoid shopping and why you embarked on this sustainable living or low buy journey in the first place. This will help you keep up your motivation and writing it down serves a good reminder when you find yourself tempted to buy.

Unfollow. I try to unfollow every newsletter/influencer/blog/instagram account that I feel promotes me to go and buy stuff. It is easier to not shop if I don’t see it. Another tip is to uninstall shopping apps you have on your phone.