Retail Therapy: Are Heavy Emotions Making Your Wallet Lighter?
“The road to bankruptcy is paved with good deals” — Forbes
After an irritable day at work/home, we seldom find the need to treat ourselves right. Your phone chimes in, lo and behold, and your favorite store has a SALE going on! This could lead to splurging on that favorite piece of clothing/gadget that you think you need, where emotions slash out your decision-making mechanism.
You end up feeling cheerful and absolutely content until you realize that your budget is a fully blown up landmine. However, would you feel as thrilled about the sale if you knew that, thanks to a study based out of London, businesses are well-aware about the days and times when their customer base is more likely to feel “vulnerable”, that is when your defenses are down?
Say Yes To Therapy, No To The Guilt-Trips:
Much before the sirens start blaring, it is imperative to learn to keep your roller-coaster of emotions all the way to another bay, far far away from your shopping cart.
Ever heard of the saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”? Cue the boring yet necessary part of adulthood: Planning your finances.
As you’re planning your budget for the upcoming month, practice deciding various categories where you need to chip in your money. Let me break it down for you-
For necessities like rent and other utilities and clearing debt or other obligations — a fixed amount would do since the variables aren’t aplenty.
Also make sure to include things you enjoy in your budget, like getting that piece of wardrobe that you have your eyes on, splurging on weekends for that ‘party animal’ inside you, or taking a date night out with your lovely spouse.
Picture this: Waking up in the morning, it’s mid-month, and your breathing isn’t jostled because you had already made room in your budget to spend extravagantly. If you follow these steps or curate your own that make you financially-savvy, we’re good to progress further.
Here are few tips to bid adieu to remorse and extend a warm hug to shopping:
Stick like a barnacle to your budget: Have a room in your budget? It’s a Green light, shop away!
No wriggle room left? That means no cash to spend and pull up the brakes. Just stick to your budget, you financial genius!
Treat your eyes: Fun fact, window shopping can also release dopamine and make your brain fix the momentary cravings. It doesn’t even cost you a thing!
Narrow the buyer’s lane to necessities: Instead of buying your thirteenth pair of sneakers just because they’re the right shade of turquoise, train your brain to channel your thoughts towards necessities like groceries, toiletries, etc.
Shop smart: Learn to stretch your money towards deals that provide a fair value for money.
Strategize. Research. Decide. Repeat
Consider social sabbatical on the cards: We cannot help but get carried away by the always perfect, forever flawless, worry-less lives of people presented on social media. Giving in to your insecurities could trigger feelings of not measuring up to them. Follow people that inspire to be better versions of you, not the ones that get paid by the same marketers to hit you when your guards are not up.
Keep clear of your triggers: If you really think that you could cave in when in certain stores, do your best to avoid them. Return only when your financial feet are firmly planted on the ground. There is no “one-time-limited” offer, ever.
Real talk, retail therapy isn’t all that therapeutic since indulgence gets the better of us. However, there is no reason to deny ourselves the psychological benefits of alternative “therapies”, as long as we plan strategically and not set yourself up for a ruthless case of retail remorse.
