Online shopping has been a danger to my budget for the last month or two. I live in the middle of nowhere. It’s a beautiful middle of nowhere and I love it here but it’s lack of access to retail shopping leaves something to be desired.
Pair that with all of the time I spend online doing professional things like researching, writing and watching kitten videos on YouTube and it gives me a lot of time to access the world of online retailers.
It started out innocently enough. I was reading a personal finance blog (Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses, damn you!) which mentioned the website ASOS. It sells clothing, shoes, and accessories for some great prices. I ended up spending multiple hours looking around the massive website picking out $500 worth of stuff for my virtual wish list. From there it branched out to regularly surfing the Lululemon website, the Nike website, and many more. My online shopping process follows a similar pattern each time:
- I open up the store’s website and immediately get distracted by the many bright and shiny things that have just been added Oh a 75% sale and free shipping for the next 3 days? I need to hurry and make a purchase before this expires!
- As I’m browsing through I start to find things that I would love to own and are a price I’d be willing to pay. I just found out that this thing existed five minutes ago but somehow I’ve needed it forever and NEED TO HAVE IT NOW.
- I start to add some items to my virtual cart. Click. Click. Okay that’s enough. Click click click click click click. Maybe one more…
- I sign up for membership to the website and just before I am about to order I have a moment of frugal clarity, change my mind and don’t buy anything. I don’t really need this stuff. Plus how would I explain myself on my blog?
- Repeat process.
With online shopping growing so rapidly the products we want are even more accessible to us everyday. I don’t think coveting so many material items is good for the frame of mind I need to be in to pay off my debts. Luckily it’s not so bad that I have to cut my internet cable in order to restrain myself from making a purchase, but I am going to make a real effort to stay away from online retailers.
I feel you pain, sister. Lately I have been browsing Sephora’s website and feeling the urge to buy everything in stock. All the pretty things they have! I think its because I have been really uptight about my spending.
I think that’s what has been causing mine as well. Sephora is a danger! I usually avoid it altogether because there are too many awesome things there.
Unsubscribing from newsletters drastically reduced this issue for me. Not being notified by sales means I only go to the websites when I actually WANT to buy something, not just because they’re having a sale…
Agree! Ive done this for Groupon and those kind of sites and it’s helped dramatically reduce my spending!
Great tips! I do try to avoid newsletters because they are quite annoying as well; too many emails flooding the inbox. I do have a couple of favourites still but I should probably get rid of them all.
You might be the most dangerous thing to happen to my budget in a long time. You talked about Modcloth and I went right over and shopped, and now I’m curious about ASOS! Must…. resist….! :-)
Oops! Sorry hehe. I hope I didn’t make you an addict.
“Plus how would I explain myself on my blog?”
Made me LOL so hard.
Story of my LIFE!
Yes! It is actually another influence to stay on target. Peer pressure but at least in a positive way. haha
Haha sorry, but what can I say, Asos is amazing.
haha it so is! It’s a great website. IF you have money to spend….. I don’t haha.
Bridget,
I actually do the same thing. I even apply it to eating habits When I get the urge to buy something or eat a candy bar, I’ll so far as to almost purchasing it just to put it down. Sometimes, it satisfies the urge to get close to doing it, only to realize I don’t need to. This is a great saving tactic.
-Christian L. @ Smart Military Money
Temptations are everywhere, either you live in the country far from any exciting stores and spend hours on online shopping sites, or if you`re like me, living in the capital, and even living in a super wealthy neighbourhood were everyone has the latest this and that, and 5 year old have Iphone 5`s. But what`s stopping me from spending is this little thing called: student loan:P it really minimizes my spending!
Yes, I am with you there. That student loan thing really has a way of sticking around doesn’t it! I can’t wait until mine are all paid.
I know how you feel. I have a similar problem with ebay!!!
Lol I actually do that with Modcloth. I never buy anything because the shipping costs are too much but whenever I’m in the mood to shop I go there and just look at all the pretty things. And then I walk away thinking about them. It’s my recipe to cure the craving to go shopping.
That is the strategy of my entire Pinterest board.