3 Ways To Decrease Emotional Spending

2020 has been a tough year for everyone. When stressed, each one of us has a different thing that will make us feel better. For many that is shopping.

Emotional shopping is when you shop to soothe some emotional issue. Some shop when stressed, others when joyous, sad, nervous or guilty. We’ve all done it and we can all agree that it rarely helps our emotional state long-term. How do we overcome this impulse? Here are a few ways.

Ask Yourself Why You Are Shopping

If you pay attention to when and why you are shopping you will likely see a trend. When you shop, keep this question in the back of your mind: “how am I feeling?” If you can identify a clear emotion take a moment to think about whether you are using shopping to soothe your emotional state or if you actually need to purchase a few things right now. If you have the forethought to ask yourself this question you will get more insight into why you are shopping and may be able to curb that impulse.

Delete Shopping Apps And Emails

A big trigger for online shopping is emails and notifications for new sales. If you are feeling blue and get an email touting a new sale chances are you are going to click on it. A great way to take that out of the equation is to unsubscribe from email lists and delete apps from your phone. You can always shop on a computer or by going to a website but this will take the ease out of the equation. Perhaps the added effort will curb some of the impulse to buy.

Find A New Coping Skill

If you realize that you often shop when you are sad think about other things you can do to make yourself feel better. Maybe a little exercise will help? Maybe doing a puzzle or watching your favorite show? Chances are you can find something else that will help alter your mood. Find those things now and try to implement them before you grab your laptop and start adding items to your cart.

Even slightly reducing emotional spending can save you a bunch over the course of a year. Likewise if you catch yourself emotional spending, return the items! Many of us get complacent and just keep what we buy because it takes effort to drive to a store or re-package and mail. If you get into the habit of returning the items you’ve purchased you will save money and probably get annoyed with how much nonsense you are purchasing, which can help as well.

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