How to Improve Your Relationship With Shopping
If asked to name the relationships in your life, you will probably list your lover, friends, family, coworkers, hairdresser and pets. Chances are you wouldn't include an activity such as shopping in that list. We can and do, however, have relationships with inanimate activities throughout our lives. With the Earth's population expanding, economies shifting, climate change and concerns about the health of our environment, it is essential that we become aware of our consumption patterns as individuals and as a society. May these tips plant seeds of suggestion for how you can improve your personal relationship with shopping. Your pocketbook and our planet will thank you for it.
Step
1
Visit the laundromat before the shopping mall. Shopping with a pile full of dirty clothes can be hazardous to your financial health. Your wardrobe is bound to appear lackluster when your favorite pieces are temporarily out of commission. And when you feel bad about your wardrobe you are more likely to make pointless purchases. Nine times out of ten you don't need to buy a new pair of jeans; you simply need to wash the ones you already own.
Step
2
Peruse your closet regularly. What was eagerly purchased yesterday can easily be forgotten tomorrow if you don't keep tabs on your closet. When you know what you've got and what you're missing, you'll avoid the mistake of purchasing something nearly identical to the things you already own.
Step
3
Create a uniform. A sparse wardrobe with a clean look makes getting dressed simple. You can update and add spice with a few well-chosen accessories.
Step
4
Buy local. The importance of purchasing local doesn't only extend to produce from the farmers markets. The further from your home an item was made, the more negative impact it has on the Earth because of all that plane and truck travel it takes to get to you. Not to mention, buying locally improves local economies. Look for locally manufactured clothes, bicycles and
beauty
products, to name a few.
Step
5
Keep a shopping journal. Does looking at pictures of pretty things in magazines and catalogs give you an itch to revamp and redecorate? Instead of hopping online and having items rushed to your doorstep, pull out a pair of scissors and a bottle of glue and create a shopping journal. Snip the pictures of the things you like and paste them together on the pages of an empty notebook. Doing this keeps your hands busy, away from credit cards and helps you hone your tastes. A shopping journal is like a personal blueprint for building a look that is truly you--so when you shop you will have a clear picture of what you want and are more likely to make perfect purchases that will excite you for years to come.
Step
6
When you make a mistake, change your mind. I once walked past my favorite chocolate shop and spotted a box of truffles in a beautifully painted box. When I went to buy it, the salesgirl announced: "That'll be $45." I was too ashamed to admit to her that $45 was way more than I could afford for nine diminutive truffles. Allowing my pride to win over my pocketbook I bought the chocolates, headed home, plopped down on the couch and proceeded to polish off the entire box in an attempt to dull the pains of my overspending. Please, do not repeat my ridiculous mistakes. No matter how nice the salesgirl is, no matter how much she gushes about how the leopard print pants are made just for you, no matter how fiercely you wish you could actually pull off wearing something so wild, if you have any uneasiness about making the purchase, it's best to apply the breaks.
Step
7
Find a new hobby. Shopping gives a high to many people, but its effects are fleeting. At the end of the day, things are just lifeless things.
Step
8
Join a community. There are people across the world who have jumped off the mindless consumption bandwagon and are there to offer support to those longing to do the same. Books like "Not Buying It" by Judith Levine and groups like the Slow Food movement encourage us to be thoughtful not only about what we consume, but why we consume.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2275105_improve-relationship-shopping.html
If asked to name the relationships in your life, you will probably list your lover, friends, family, coworkers, hairdresser and pets. Chances are you wouldn't include an activity such as shopping in that list. We can and do, however, have relationships with inanimate activities throughout our lives. With the Earth's population expanding, economies shifting, climate change and concerns about the health of our environment, it is essential that we become aware of our consumption patterns as individuals and as a society. May these tips plant seeds of suggestion for how you can improve your personal relationship with shopping. Your pocketbook and our planet will thank you for it.
Step
1
Visit the laundromat before the shopping mall. Shopping with a pile full of dirty clothes can be hazardous to your financial health. Your wardrobe is bound to appear lackluster when your favorite pieces are temporarily out of commission. And when you feel bad about your wardrobe you are more likely to make pointless purchases. Nine times out of ten you don't need to buy a new pair of jeans; you simply need to wash the ones you already own.
Step
2
Peruse your closet regularly. What was eagerly purchased yesterday can easily be forgotten tomorrow if you don't keep tabs on your closet. When you know what you've got and what you're missing, you'll avoid the mistake of purchasing something nearly identical to the things you already own.
Step
3
Create a uniform. A sparse wardrobe with a clean look makes getting dressed simple. You can update and add spice with a few well-chosen accessories.
Step
4
Buy local. The importance of purchasing local doesn't only extend to produce from the farmers markets. The further from your home an item was made, the more negative impact it has on the Earth because of all that plane and truck travel it takes to get to you. Not to mention, buying locally improves local economies. Look for locally manufactured clothes, bicycles and
beauty
products, to name a few.
Step
5
Keep a shopping journal. Does looking at pictures of pretty things in magazines and catalogs give you an itch to revamp and redecorate? Instead of hopping online and having items rushed to your doorstep, pull out a pair of scissors and a bottle of glue and create a shopping journal. Snip the pictures of the things you like and paste them together on the pages of an empty notebook. Doing this keeps your hands busy, away from credit cards and helps you hone your tastes. A shopping journal is like a personal blueprint for building a look that is truly you--so when you shop you will have a clear picture of what you want and are more likely to make perfect purchases that will excite you for years to come.
Step
6
When you make a mistake, change your mind. I once walked past my favorite chocolate shop and spotted a box of truffles in a beautifully painted box. When I went to buy it, the salesgirl announced: "That'll be $45." I was too ashamed to admit to her that $45 was way more than I could afford for nine diminutive truffles. Allowing my pride to win over my pocketbook I bought the chocolates, headed home, plopped down on the couch and proceeded to polish off the entire box in an attempt to dull the pains of my overspending. Please, do not repeat my ridiculous mistakes. No matter how nice the salesgirl is, no matter how much she gushes about how the leopard print pants are made just for you, no matter how fiercely you wish you could actually pull off wearing something so wild, if you have any uneasiness about making the purchase, it's best to apply the breaks.
Step
7
Find a new hobby. Shopping gives a high to many people, but its effects are fleeting. At the end of the day, things are just lifeless things.
Step
8
Join a community. There are people across the world who have jumped off the mindless consumption bandwagon and are there to offer support to those longing to do the same. Books like "Not Buying It" by Judith Levine and groups like the Slow Food movement encourage us to be thoughtful not only about what we consume, but why we consume.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2275105_improve-relationship-shopping.html
