{"id":3237,"date":"2021-06-15T10:41:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T16:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/?p=3237"},"modified":"2023-01-18T04:23:25","modified_gmt":"2023-01-18T11:23:25","slug":"bad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/bad\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Simple Ways to Feel Better (when you feel bad about shopping)"},"content":{"rendered":"

On your simplicity journey, have you ever felt bad about about shopping and buying something new? Or lots of new somethings?<\/p>\n

If yes, I know exactly how you feel. I have felt that way more times than I care to admit.<\/p>\n

Emotions and shopping go hand in hand. I used to buy something new after a bad day for a little lift. I bought things to celebrate big accomplishments. I shopped in the excitement of a new habit, like joining a gym for daily workouts. I’d buy new work-out clothes and shoes and then habit would fizzle out after a few months.<\/p>\n

And then there were the post-shopping emotions. I felt guilty for spending too much money, annoyed when something went on sale months after I bought it, and frustrated when things didn\u2019t fit right or change my life in any profound way.<\/p>\n

As I began to change my ways and simplify my life, I discovered a few things that helped ease the pain I was creating by attempting to shop away my feelings.<\/p>\n

\"When<\/p>\n

3 Simple Ways to Feel Better (when you feel bad about shopping)<\/h2>\n

1. Take a purchase pause.<\/strong>
\nPut a pause on non-essential purchases. Instead of buying with your money, fake the purchase on paper. For 30-60 days, keep a running list of everything you want to buy with the price\u00a0of each item, but don’t actually buy anything.<\/p>\n

At the end of your purchase pause, add up what you would have spent, and ask yourself two questions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Is there anything on the list I\u00a0still want as much as I\u00a0thought I did?<\/li>\n
  2. If someone handed me\u00a0the total of my\u00a0fake purchases in cash, would I\u00a0use it to buy all the things on the list, or use it for something else?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This experiment will provide you with valuable information to consider before future purchases.<\/p>\n

    2. Trade shopping for self-care.<\/strong>
    \nI used to shop for every event and emotion. Now, when I feel myself getting stressed, tired, sick, frustrated, or bored, I take better care of myself. When I\u2019m not feeling my best, I know my heart\u00a0is saying, \u201ctake care of me.\u201d and not, “let’s go shopping.”<\/p>\n

    Instead of going shopping I …<\/em><\/p>\n