Hi, I'm Ellis and I'm a shopaholic. Or at least, I was one. Which is why I'm here to today to share my tips for how to change your spending habits.
Throughout my teens and well into my twenties I can quite easily say that I was addicted to shopping. I would get the biggest rush from buying something, particularly in the sales. And I would find myself browsing the 'New In' section of my favourite websites on a daily basis, on what felt like a constant loop.
But over the past six months I have made conscious efforts to break the habits of a lifetime. And in essence have completely changed my relationship with shopping and ultimately spending my hard earned money.
And here are just some tips for how to change your spending habits;
Operate a one in one out system
This is my biggest piece of advice. And it's the one that makes an instant alteration to the way I now shop. I don't buy something unless at least one other item leaves my house. Whether that is to the charity shop, a friend or family member or onto eBay, if it's somewhat pricier. I don't bring something new in unless a space has been freed up for it.
But if you get rid of five items of clothing per se, that doesn't mean that you need to buy five more to fill that void. Leave room for truly special items to eventually make their way in throughout the year, instead. Which leads me onto my next point.
Only buy clothes that makes you feel truly fabulous
Now I don't mean only buy ball gowns or expensive designer accessories. If an item doesn't fit you perfectly, make you feel incredible when you wear it or truly serve a purpose; do not buy or keep it!
I used to just keep a pair of jogging bottoms that were pretty ill fitting and made of a not so great material solely because they were £7.99. Or something like that. Then they would never be worn but I would think to myself, "Oh well, it only cost me £7.99." But they would be taking up space in an already fit to burst set of drawers. And a few of those kinds of purchases soon add up. Before you know it you've spent nearly £100 on clothes you'll never wear.
Now when I order something online, if I don't wear it within two weeks of buying it or know that I will be taking it on holiday with me (again, only if I feel truly fabulous in it), it gets returned straight away.
But don't buy a new Kate Spade handbag just because it's on sale
For a while there, I had gotten myself into a bit of a bad habit when it came to my favourite designer brand; Kate Spade New York. I already looked at sales in an unhealthy way, buying things I would never have bought full price. And when it's somewhere where the sale price is still over £100 a pop, this got silly real quick.
I now have two handbags, both of which cost over £125 in the sale, that I have never used and have no real use for. I bought a tote bag, with plans to use it as my plane bag, knowing that backpacks are what I always use to travel with. And then a few months later I bought a £90 backpack, again with intentions of making it my travel bag. Only to find an even lighter and easier to carry one in Primark, for just £10, a few weeks later. By that point I couldn't return the Kate Spade backpack. And I felt ever so stupid for buying it in the first place.
Now I rarely shop any kind of sale as it really isn't a bargain at all if you don't need it.
Never pay full price for beauty products
As a beauty fanatic, trying to keep up with every new release is an easy way to get into a bad place with shopping and spending money.
I now NEVER pay full price for any beauty product. Whether that's my £4 Garnier shampoo that regularly ends up £1.99 in Boots or my favourite NARS concealer, you can always get some money off.
If you don't already have a Boots Advantage Card or Space NK n.dulge card (and you buy a lot of beauty bits); sign up for one now! You may think this will incentivise more spending. But instead it will give you points which can take a lot of money off regular beauty purchases.
You can earn Space NK n.dulge points simply by leaving reviews on products you've already tried. And the Boots app always has ways to earn even if you're just stocking up on some shampoo or shower gel.
Stop buying DVDs
When I was a teen I used to spend hours and all my Saturday job earnings at the big Virgin Megastore on Buchanan Street in Glasgow on DVDs. Who else from Glasgow remembers it?
It was right when DVDs were becoming mainstream and more affordable (how old do I sound right now?!) But nowadays, in our household we have Netflix, Amazon Prime Video AND Sky Cinema. So why am I still buying DVDs?!
Again, it doesn't feel like a lot when you're spending £10 here or there. But it soon adds up and then a few months later (or sometimes weeks on Netflix or Amazon), it's available to stream and the DVD goes unwatched indefinitely. This has been a big change for me as I used to want to have a whole wall of DVDs in my house/bedroom one day. But at the start of January this year I got rid of more than half of them, only keeping ones that either aren't available to stream or that I watch over and over again.
Actively think about what that money could go towards
Yes, in the grand scheme of things a £4 daily coffee or £15 takeaway delivery doesn't seem like a lot. But it all adds up. I'd much rather put that money towards a holiday or an experience that will leave me with memories instead. For example, I'm going back to New York later in the year. And that is what I'm actively saving for this year.
Utilise apps and online banking
Being able to see exactly how much is going out each month at the touch of a button is such a gamechanger. I know a lot of people use Monzo, which I've still to try. But just being able to monitor my own bank accounts makes such a big difference to what I do spend.
So that's how I've changed my relationship with shopping and spending money and hope to take that into 2020 and beyond. And my tips for how to change your spending habits.
Are you trying to be more savvy with how you shop? Or what are your tips for saving money and not spending? And what do you think of my tips?
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