4 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Buy 'The Thing'

Photography by @te.ssa.h on Instagram.

I'm sure we've all experienced the urge to buy something on impulse. You know the feeling. You see something cute, you want it, you check your bank account, you recheck the price, and you realize that this item will make your financial situation rather precarious until your next paycheque. But the item is trickling out of stock and it won’t be on sale for much longer...

We’ve all been in this scenario or one like it. We’ve all got impulse purchases that we regret, regardless of whether we end up using it or not, and most of us are still trapped in the cycle of overconsumption. I believe that one of the best ways impulse shoppers can say no to more purchases, other than to remove the temptation to begin with, is by training ourselves to recognise the negative effect of an item before we buy it. Today, I hope to share with you my top four reasons why you shouldn’t buy The Thing.

1. It’s Stressing You Out

As soon as I realise an item is causing me unnecessary stress, I take a step back, and I leave it alone. Even if it will be gone soon. Even if it’s on sale. I will stress over how I can afford it, how I can buy it before the sale ends, how I accurate the photos or size chart is, if it's worth the money, etc. When I feel overwhelmed, I know it’s time to drop the subject. If it’s something I need I can always come back to it later or find a suitable alternative if The Thing is no longer available. I want any item that I buy to be something that sparks joy rather than stress. I want to buy it when I am in a calm state of mind.

2. You Don’t Need It

So you think you want The Thing, but do you actually need The Thing? Is it similar to something you already own? Is it something you probably won’t use very often? Does it suit your current lifestyle? Sometimes it’s good to try pieces outside your comfort zone, but if you can’t survive longer than a minute in high heels and suddenly you’re about to purchase a pair of Irregular Choice novelty wedges, you might want to reconsider. One of the best questions to ask yourself before justifying a purchase is “Will I wear this at least 30 times?” If the answer is no, it’s time to remove the item from your shopping cart.

3. It’s Bad for the Environment

Everything we make comes at a cost to the environment. Even if The Thing you’re interested in buying is  ethically hand-stitched using organic linen and vegetable dyes, it still required land to be cleared so the linen could grow, and it still needed water to grow and dye it, and sewing studios using wood from trees still needed to be built, and the garment still needed to be shipped to you or the place you’re buying it from (often in plastic), and it still needs water to be washed by you. Of course, this is only the most extreme example of how a garment with as little of an ecological impact as possible is still worse for the environment than using what you already own. This is not accounting for the microfibres and toxic dyes our synthetic items release into our waterways when we wash our garments, or the toxic waste dumped into the waterways of developing countries, or the sheer number of unsold and unused garments being burned or dumped in landfill. If The Thing doesn’t serve a meaningful purpose, it’s not worth damaging the environment for.

4. You Can Use the Money for Something Better

Are you saving to travel abroad? Do you need to pay rent? Do you even just want an even better, more expensive Thing that will serve more purpose? If you are able to think about what you’ll have to give up if you buy The Thing, then you might feel less tempted in future. As a bonus tip, try putting away most of your money into savings accounts before you have the chance to spend it. That way, you can ensure that you have money for the things you need, while also still putting away money for fun stuff that you want to prioritise over The Thing.

If you found that most of these points didn’t apply to you, that’s a good sign that you might be ready to buy The Thing. If you find that most of these points do apply to you but you’re trying to justify why you should ignore them anyway, then you shouldn’t buy The Thing. If you must, take a break, keep your mind off The Thing, and then come back to it later. If you find you don’t want The Thing after all, congratulations! You’ve just stopped yourself from making a purchase that you were going to regret, and now you’ve also started controlling your shopping impulses.

If you found this article helpful, you might also enjoy '6 Tips for Alternative Fashion Lovers to Shop Smarter'.

Follow me on my Instagram @thecoramaria for more kawaii, sustainable fashion inspiration.