Being Sales Savvy and Avoiding Over Consumption
As the January sales make their annual appearance, it can be easy to be seduced into impulse purchases for the sake of it. The classic case of January blues can quickly translate into some retail therapy and before you know it you’ve got a depleted savings account and a daily visit from your Hermes driver.
Unnecessary purchases can not only make us feel guilty in straining our finances but the sales season has drastic impacts on our environment. Through buying things that we wouldn’t usually purchase at full price, the chances of them inevitably ending up unworn or unused and in landfill goes up drastically. Although it can feel good to find some hidden sales gems, how can we avoid over-consuming for the sake of both our bank accounts and the environment?
Saved Items and Pre-Planning
My ultimate way of ensuring I am buying things I won’t regret is by utilising the saved items option that most sites offer. I don’t know about you but my saved items becomes a place for all those items that I’ve been lusting over but perhaps don’t have the funds for currently. When the sales come around it means that I can quickly check if there are any savings to be made and avoid the general scrolling through pages of random pieces. Therefore, I know if I make any purchases they are things that I have desired for a while rather than any impulse decisions. This is definitely my top tip for avoiding falling into the trap of the ‘View All’ in the sale section.
Conscious Shopping: Will you get use from this?
Leading on from this, I always find it important to consider my current wardrobe before making any purchases in the sales. Mentally picturing or even writing down different outfits I could wear with potential buys helps to make sure that I will get proper use out of it. There’s no point in buying a top that yes, may look pretty with that one skirt but will ultimately become forgotten within a few weeks.
"Make the most of being able to buy those long-lasting products whilst they are affordable"
Shopping the Staples
Something else to consider is keeping purchases down to those big staples that will last for years to come. For example, that puffer jacket that you can see being worn every winter but is normally too pricey. Normally it’s the higher quality items, which are going to last much longer, that are the ones which can be slightly out of our usual budget. It’s nice to therefore make the most of being able to buy those long-lasting products whilst they are affordable rather than the £2 cami top that might be lucky to see the light of day in summer.
Avoiding Sales Altogether
Ultimately, if you know that you struggle around the sales season in making sure that you don’t over-buy and complete avoidance of sales may be the best option. This means perhaps refraining from making any visits to your favourite shops or resisting promotional emails as much as possible. The previous Black Friday I took a small digital detox for a couple of days to prevent being bombarded with those tempting ads everywhere I looked.
Collectively, with some mindfulness before purchasing, we can make a real difference in cutting down the unnecessary consumption that often happens in January and start off the year with a healthier savings account and some positive sustainability.
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