Shopping smarter is great for your budget, and it’s better for you. Shop more consciously, and you’ll have a better, more curated collection of items and clothes that you will love more. It’s all about quality over quantity. Done right, you can have a truly personalized wardrobe or home simply by being more patient and increasing your standards when it comes to what you buy and why.
All you need to get started is to ask yourself five questions when you want to buy something. If you can answer in the affirmative for all five, then you should absolutely go for the item, even if others may not see it as an “essential”. If you have your eyes on some statement boots and can answer all of these five questions, get them. Shopping more mindfully simply means avoiding impulse buying and being patient to find the items that you truly love.
1. Will I Use it More than 30 Times?
This is a great question to ask yourself, and it applies to a large variety of items as well. Apply it to the clothes you want to buy, the kitchen appliances you are considering, and so on. You don’t need to use it 30 times in a row, but using the item in question regularly lets you get the most value out of it and ensures that you stick to items that you need to own, as opposed to simply renting.
2. Is the Item Made Well?
If you want to get a minimum of 30 uses out of the item (and ideally far more), the item in question needs to be made well. Splurging more on a higher quality item that is designed to last and comes with masterful craftsmanship will make it easy to love and use the item in question often.
3. Would I Buy it at Full Price?
You can wait for what you want to go on sale. You can use a payment plan to spread out the costs. The question of whether you would buy it at full price is there simply to help you avoid impulse buying something you don’t really care about just because the discount is attractive.
4. Is It On My List?
Another great way to avoid impulse buying is to have a list of items that you want. This can be a staple piece that you want for your wardrobe like a pair of women’s cowboy boots, could be a piece of tech, or anything else. Wanting something and looking for the perfect version of it will immediately help you shop more mindfully and feel better about your purchases. This doesn’t mean you cannot fall in love with something and get it for yourself on a whim, but it does help focus your shopping habits.
5. How Many Ways Can I Use It?
How many outfits can you make with that dress? How many ways can you style those cowboy boots? What can you do with that new software program? Knowing exactly how many ways you can use the item you want to buy will help you choose better and get more use out of the item.
If you find something that suits you, is made well, and works in multiple ways in your life, then you have found a winner. When in doubt, however, just take a step back. If in 24 or 48 hours you still want it, then get it.
