There are a lot of things you can do from home, but one of the things that you might miss is going outside and enjoying the experience of shopping. Yes, online shopping is there and has been for a while now, but you may find yourself worried that it will not give you that natural stopping cue that running out of cash in your wallet gives. Because you can buy using your credit or debit card, it’s not easy to feel the pinch of an expensive purchase.
While you’re stuck at home, you can learn the art of shopping online productively. Here’s a checklist to help you:
Do it Once a Day
Just as you become a more impulsive buyer when you head to the mall at the end of the day and you’re tired, the pinch of online shopping may also feel more dull when you do it at night. You’re preparing for bed, telling yourself to relax, and maybe feeling a little sleepy when you see an enticing object. Especially when you’re cosmetics online shopping, it’s important that you’re in the right mindset to read the labels and specifics so that you don’t end up buying a product that will not work with your skin tone or skin type. Schedule a time of day that you feel most productive, such as after breakfast, and do all your online shopping at once. After this, try not to check your shopping apps or favorite e-commerce stores throughout the day. Switch off notifications if possible.
Make a List Beforehand
You’re shopping once a day, so you want to remember everything that you have to buy during that window. Without a list, you may just rely on your memory to remember what you need, and this might leave you with a nagging feeling that you’re forgetting something. To try to remember, you might leisurely look around–and buy impulsively in the process. List everything that you’ve run out of, so that you are sure you really need to buy them. Everything in the online store may look shiny and new, and the temptation to just add them all to cart is high, but do your best to stick to the list.
Walk Away from Frivolous Purchases
The good thing about online shopping is you can add everything to your cart to feel the positive emotions associated with shopping, but you don’t actually have to pay for everything. When you feel the urge to buy something expensive, go ahead and give yourself the experience of checking it out and adding it to your cart. Then, once you’re ready to checkout, remove them from the final list. Another way is to leave the shop altogether–with your cart loaded–and come back the next day. If you still want the items and you’ve had time to think, go ahead and buy them. But if the impulse to buy has subsided, you won’t have problems removing them from your cart.
Online shopping should be done with a schedule and without letting your impulses get away with your money. If you can master the art of doing it productively, you will not feel like you’re stuck at home at all.
