Smart shopping or just throwing money away?

“Shopping” is a word that comes to mind primarily with us women, and rightfully so.

It is hard to find a woman who would not enjoy visiting, say, a shopping mall and buying what she needs or even what she likes. However, sometimes the pleasant purchase of necessary things turns into something excessive, unnecessary and even harmful. Why does this happen? And how can we prevent shopping from turning from a joyful and necessary activity into empty and often dangerous wastage?

First, let us identify the causes, and then choose the ‘weapons’ to combat the problem.

1. Emotional state. Stress, anxiety, boredom or other negative emotions can trigger impulsive buying. We may try to lift our spirits by buying something new and beautiful. However, it may turn out that we do not really need the item and it is only a temporary solution.
2. Internal attitudes. “Money is not important” or even worse “Money is evil”. If we or our loved ones have ever experienced a negative event involving the loss of funds – robbery, dispossession, etc., we may develop the belief that money is dangerous and should be gotten rid of. The result is wasting money on a bunch of unnecessary things.
3. The influence of advertising. Advertising campaigns, promotions, discounts and other marketing tools can stimulate the desire to buy a certain product. This is especially true for impulse purchases in stores with aggressive advertising and promotions. Bright signs, discounts and special offers can lead us to buy something we do not need.
4. Social factors. The desire to fit into a certain lifestyle, be trendy and have the same things as others can motivate us to make unnecessary purchases. This is especially relevant in the age of social media, where some people like to publicly show off beautiful things in photos.
5. Lack of self-confidence. Sometimes we tend to make unnecessary purchases to compensate for insecurity and low self-esteem. We may think that a new item will make us more attractive or successful. However, this is not always the case.
6. Environment. The presence of many stores and shopping centres in close proximity can encourage more frequent purchases. The visual availability of products can encourage impulsive decisions.
7. Lack of budgeting. The lack of a clear spending plan and poor finan-cial management skills can also lead to unplanned spending. A lack of understanding of one’s financial capabilities can contribute to unnecessary purchases.

How to avoid impulsive shopping?

To protect our funds from senseless purchases, we need to learn to control our impulses and manage our finances. Here are a few ways to help.

1. Budgeting. Make a list of expenses and determine how much money we can spend on purchases. This will help us control our spending and avoid unnecessary expenses.
2. Working through our own financial beliefs. This may require the help of a mental health professional but we can also try to help ourselves, especially since we have online resources with text, video and audio materials on the topic.
3. Analysing emotions. If we feel the urge to make a purchase due to emotions, pause and consider: do we really need this item? Will the purchase solve our problem?
4. Avoiding impulse purchases. Learning to say “no” to impulse purchases. If we see something we do not need but find attractive, ask ourselves: will it really improve our lives?
5. Using technology. There are many apps and tools that help us control spending and plan a budget. Using them, you can track your expenses and avoid unnecessary spending.
6. Finding alternative ways to satisfy needs. For example, instead of buying new clothes, you can update your wardrobe with accessories or jewelry.
7. Entertainment without shop-ping. Find alternative ways to entertain and relieve stress that do not involve shopping. For example, you can engage in healthy exercise, read a book, watch a good movie or spend time with friends or family.

It is important to remember that controlling your shopping is not a restriction on your freedom but a way to manage your finances and time. By learning to control your impulses, we can save money, avoid the stress associated with unexpected expenses and focus on the truly important things in life.

Yulia Zachesova

As-Salam writer