We’re in the thick of sale season, which is a time of year when temptation to spontaneously add something to our closets is at its highest. While I think that sale shopping can be an effective strategy for making your dollar stretch further, knowing when to shop and when to stop is the tricky part. It’s a big part of why I think shopping from a list is so practical; it’s a simple shift that’ll frame your shopping considerations and help you avoid impulse purchases.
Wearing Uniqlo shirt, Dr Denim skinny jeans (old but these are similar), Sam Edelman loafers, Kindersalmon coat (10% off with code ‘mademoiselle10’), Chanel boy bag (also here)
My personal style is pretty formulaic, so I often consider what I put on to wear as being part of an equation. To get a good result, I need the right parts. I’ve always found window shopping to be quite therapeutic – whether I make a purchase or not – but I’m not naive enough to think that I won’t want to buy the more I browse. If you’re shopping without intention or purpose, it’s easy to get distracted from your core style values and end up with items that don’t fit the formula, or work with anything else in your closet.
Let’s face it; I’m not immune to making shopping mistakes. I still make them even now, but I try to get a bit more insight into my shopping habits with each one. Making sure I avoid impulse purchases is one of the keys to helping keep my closet on track.
Rather than feeling the urge to declutter your wardrobe the next time you analyse the content, instead take stock of what you have and realise where the gaps in your wardrobe are. Decluttering, especially around sale time, can lead to a false sense of *need*, and can kick start a cycle of shop, store + never wear, declutter, rinse and repeat.
Ask yourself, is there anything that is missing from your wardrobe in its current state? Pop it on a list and refer back to it when you’re browsing the sales, or on your next shopping mission.
Combined with my 30 day shopping rule, this method helps me to keep on track and avoid impulse purchases, especially around sale time. While I think there’s an exception to every rule, if it’s not on the list, it’ll probably end up in the ‘declutter’ pile the next time you feel inspired to give your closet a clean out.
