Style Principle #14: Avoiding Impulse Purchases

Oh, the impulse purchase!

A dress that you loved on your favourite influencer that’s hanging in the cupboard with the tag on.

A pair of heels you eyed and purchased whilst scrolling at 9PM after a tough day when heels, truthfully, do not suit your lifestyle.

Impulse purchases rarely bring long term joy and versatility to our wardrobes.

We can recall only one successful impulse purchase in all our years of shopping. Coming from a recovered impulse shopping addict, that’s a poor stat.

Here are seven tips to help you curb impulse purchases:

1. Make a list of the brands you love to shop from, then unsubscribe from all brand marketing emails: you are constantly being sold to. When you sign up for that 10% off (guilty as charged! No judgment here), brands are looking to bombard you with their new “must have pieces”, weekly deals or spend and “save”, so that you buy, buy, buy. Unsubscribing will remove temptation (Like not buying chocolate when you’re trying not to eat sugar).

2. Shop for a Particular Item: identify the gaps in your wardrobe. Make a list of the pieces you need and shop with these items in mind. When you shop with intention, you avoid purchasing items that are similar to ones you already own or impulse purchases that hang in your cupboard unworn (We spoke about shopping with intention in Weekly Newsletter #8). BONUS TIP: When sales roll around, you can refer to your list and tick off items as you go.

3. Let an item “sit” with you: when you’re online shopping, add an item to your cart and leave it there for a week. When you’re doing an unplanned, in-store try on, leave the piece behind and let it sit with you. If you’re still thinking about the item after 7 days and have thought about ways you can style it with pieces you already own, then it’s likely to be a good edition (it also won’t be an impulse purchase).

4. Think of 5 ways to style an item before purchasing: when eyeing out a new item, stop and think of at least 5 ways you can style the item with pieces in your wardrobe before hitting “purchase”. Our 5 ways rule is one way to assess whether an item is versatile and will have a good return on investment.

5. Avoid shopping after a tough day: shopping when you’re in a bad frame of mine often results in regretful purchases. Regretful purchases lead to a cluttered wardrobe that causes overwhelm. You want to curate a wardrobe that sparks joy and allows you to get dressed with ease and confidence. Bad days pass. Bad purchases are forever (unless you return them fast enough).

6. Don’t focus on the “Save”: if you’re eying out an item on sale or feeling the urge to take advantage of a Spend and Save, don’t let good marketing lead you astray. You aren’t saving $50. You’re spending $250. Ask yourself: “Would I even be looking at this item if it wasn’t on sale?”

7. Set aside an hour to play in your wardrobe: this tip is inspired by one of our membership clients. Before rushing to the store to buy a new outfit for an event, take an hour or two to look through your wardrobe and workshop an outfit. 9 times out of 10 you’ll realise you have plenty of options that you haven’t worn in ages. This may help you identify any gaps (maybe you don’t have a pair for classic, strappy heels for events) so you can shop with purpose.

A little tough love can go a long way in ensuring you build a wardrobe full of clothes that spark joy and avoid making purchases you don’t need or love.

Want to avoid those impulse purchases and get more wear out of the clothes you already own?

We help you take the guesswork and hassle out of dressing, workshop looks using your current wardrobe pieces and make sure you only buy clothes that you’ll actually wear so that you can be your Best Dress Self.

View our Personal Styling Packages or email [email protected] to chat about your style goals and how we can help.

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