Do you want to stop shopping? Have you committed to a no buy year, or a no buy month?

Maybe you’re doing a low buy year instead?

Do you just want to reduce the amount that you shop in general?

I’m definitely in that third category! After making quite a few clothing purchases in 2020 (emotional shopping as a result of the pandemic is my excuse and I’m sticking to it), I want to lay off purchasing clothes this year.

since a lot of us are committing to stop shopping entirely or to purchase less this year, I thought I’d put together a list of 5 things that can help us succeed in our goal!

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1. Remove shopping temptation.

• Unsubscribe from brand emails that tempt you to buy things. I know this is nothing new or groundbreaking, but it is the first line of defense to stop shopping. Especially when brands are advertising sales.
• Unfollow brands on social media. Much like emails, if a brand’s posts always have you going to their website to see the latest and greatest, unfollow.
• If there’s an influencer that always makes you want to buy things, unfollow. If you don’t want to unfollow, see if you can take what they post and apply it to your own closet.
• Make it harder to shop your favorite sites. Remove shopping apps from your phone and delete them from your computer favorites.

2. Try a capsule wardrobe.

A capsule wardrobe is a smaller collection of clothing items that you dress from over a self-prescribed period of time. This is a great option to help you stop shopping as it puts the emphasis back on your wardrobe.

Not only is a capsule wardrobe a great way to gain some wardrobe focus, it’s also great for getting creative with clothes.

Check out this post to see my winter capsule wardrobe.

And if you’d like to try one but you’re not sure where to start, check out this post to help you create your first capsule wardrobe.

3. Try a style challenge.

Maybe you’re not ready to commit to a capsule wardrobe. If not, join a style challenge on Instagram or make up your own challenge to help you focus on the things that you already own.

Applying styling cues to your own wardrobe is a great way to get out of wanting something new which will help you stop shopping.

Here are few examples of some style challenges that I’ve done in the past:

• Capsule X 5 – a 5 item capsule wardrobe that you style as many ways as possible. To get an idea of how this works, here’s one that I did back in the spring and here’s one that I did last summer.
• Rewear one item from the day before but style it differently each day. I did this type of challenge in the fall of 2019 and it a lot of fun. And it made getting dressed much easier since I didn’t have to think of one of the items I was going to wear. Read about it here.
• Choose one item and style it for an entire week. I recently did this with a black dress and it was a great way to examine the versatility of a piece of clothing. It was also a great way to style pieces that don’t see as much love in my wardrobe.

Have you done a style challenge that you’ve really enjoyed? Please share it below.

4. Try something new.

Do you find that you browse online and purchase things when you’re bored. I’m definitely guilty of this! That’s why my first line of defense to stop shopping is to remove shopping temptation.

But it’s also important to replace the mindless scrolling with something else. Is there something that you’ve been wanting to try?

Here are a few ideas of some activities:

• sewing
• knitting
• pottery
• painting
• woodworking
• cooking/baking
• reading
• running
• weight training

Personally, I will be using sewing and reading to distract myself so that I don’t boredom shop.

5. Get really familiar with your wardrobe.

Distract yourself with your wardrobe.

Take everything out. Try everything on! How does each item make you feel?

Start to take note of the things that you really like. What do you like about them?

Make a list. Which silhouettes are you most drawn to? Which colors? How about materials? When you do decide to add something to your wardrobe, refer to this list to make sure you’re adding something that you will love and wear a lot.

Get rid of anything that doesn’t make you feel like the best version of yourself.

• Try selling it if it’s in good condition (either online or at a local consignment shop). There’s a better chance that the item will find a home this way.
• Or you can see if a friend would like it. But don’t just pile you cast offs onto your friends and make it their problem.
• Use donation as a last resource…according to Green America, about two-thirds of clothing donations end up in the landfill.

Don’t rush this process. Take the time to really determine what you like and don’t like. It makes a huge difference in how you feel towards your wardrobe.

And feeling great about what you already own is instrumental in helping you to stop shopping for new things.

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I hope that you found something in this post that was useful to you.

I’d love to hear from you!

Are you trying to stop shopping this year?

Are you using any of the above tips to help you?

Do you have any that you would add to this list?

Until next time,

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