Do I need it? Do I want it? Does it matter?
We used to have a joke that my husband couldn't go into the Whole Foods alone because he would come home with $47 worth of random cheese.😲 We even tried to channel the grocery impulse buying by having “grocery store" dinner-where we would all wander about, seeing what looked good at that exact moment and then buying it for dinner that night. It satisfied my kiddos urge to make their own decisions (for better or worse!) because I had a pretty good lockdown on the grocery list.
What did we need to make dinners that week? Not necessarily what did they want?
Now don't get me wrong, I have grabbed the gum at checkout, or just happened to walk down the potato chip aisle to see what was new…but for the most part, I had my list and make good choices
I'm sure you can see where this is headed…
“have a list when you shop for clothing” you're saying, perhaps with a eye roll. You've heard this before and you don't want to have to follow rules when you go out shopping. Shopping is fun!
(Actually, only about 50% of you say that-the others are saying they hate it)
Both sides will benefit-let me tell you why!
Only you can decide what you want to add to your wardrobe coming into this fall. And if you keep scrolling without much thought, we both know you will end up with things you won't wear.
Because wandering the shops or scrolling all the feeds leads to impulse.
Let's get really clear on that that means.
Impulse buying is characterized by its impromptu nature, often driven by immediate desires or emotional impulses rather than rational decision-making processes.
Almost ALL of the pieces in my clients closets that have tags attached after 6 months of hanging there are impulse buys.
The deal was just too good,
the color looked so much better on the model,
you didn't quite notice the seams across the front hit you in the wrong place.
yada…yada…yada
So now you feel guilty you spent the $$ and guilty if you throw it away.
I have a whole process that will move you through this, but in the meantime, let's move forward.
Your new love of a list. ❤️
~You are going to look at last years fall and see what worked and what didn't.
~You're going to write down WHY so you don't continue to make the same shopping mistakes.
~You're going to make a list of what you'd like to add in to your wardrobe. Notes app is great for this.
~You're going to check your list whenever you go out or scroll.
🎉 Here's the fun part🎉
~You're going to watch your brain do it's thing. It's going to now pay attention to the things on your list! It's called cognitive bias-a cognitive bias that causes people to notice something more frequently after becoming aware of it.
So if you have a red cardigan on your list, your brain will filter out other things you see to look for the red sweater.
As someone who shops for a living, I'm telling you it works!
But also, as someone who had a huge shopping problem, I know it helps keep me aligned with who I am and how I want to show up in the world. I don't get distracted by trends or the barrage of marketing on socials. This method saves me money, but almost more importantly, saves me from MASSIVE annoyance in my closet every morning.
Ok- here's your challenge!💪
Go into your closet, grab a piece you haven't worn. Probably the one that you keep trying on, scrinching up your face and then throwing back on the floor. Take a hard look at why you don't like it. I want you to see the patterns of WHY you don't like what you don't like!
Do you need to replace it with something better(based on your why)?
Put it on your list. Be specific. Now, shoot me a message here or on IG and tell me what you have discovered.
Red cardigan. Waist length. Chenille. Drop sleeve.
Maybe that is too specific, maybe you want to jot down notes of what you don't want.
Red sweater. Any length but long. No wool.
Now, reply here or shoot me a message on IG @styleclosetcoach and tell me what you have discovered. You'll be entered to win a fun prize for participating!
Can't wait to see!👀👀