7 tips against compulsive buying

We live more and more in a society of consumption, even overconsumption, and the ease with which we buy means that, sometimes, we can lose full control of our purchases and consumption behavior. Compulsive buying is the impulsive need that more and more people have to make purchases to accumulate consumer goods, without sometimes knowing the underlying reasons or understanding their real usefulness. We will tell you everything about it, how to recognize it, as well as 7 ways to deal with it.

What is compulsive buying?

The drive constitutes a form of tension, an urgent need which cannot remain unsatisfied, otherwise it will generate frustration and dissatisfaction. The latter can push some of us to buy in order to lower and calm our blood pressure. These are often items that we have little or no need for, but over which we easily lose control in the face of commercial tricks: abundance of advertising particularly during holiday periods, purchases made easier by payment in installments, return of used items, wide range of products available on the ground floor or online… The only limit we have left beyond the bank account: our self-control.

How to recognize compulsive purchases?

To do this, you have to ask yourself the right questions: could I resist the temptation to buy? Do I want to buy this item because it’s on sale or because I really need it? How long ago was my last similar purchase? If I don’t buy it now, can I do it later? I buy to please myself or to compensate for a loss or to treat my moods? Will my purchase hurt my finances?

The answer to these questions should intuitively and spontaneously give you insight into the nature of your purchase.

Our advice to get through it

Between being tempted by a purchase and taking action, there is motivation, the latter is often fleeting and modulating it constitutes a personal challenge. Here are some tips to adopt:

  1 – Wait for the urge to go away on its own.

Many of our desires are fleeting, so sometimes we must strive to resist them in order to give them the opportunity to go away on their own. Exercising, spending quality time with loved ones, cooking or taking up new hobbies… these are factors that inhibit the desire to buy because they consume your motivation capital. These activities effectively divert our attention to something healthy and productive. Here, it is therefore a question of replacing goods with experiences.

  2 – A line not to be crossed.

Conditioning your brain not to exceed a threshold can be effective. If, for example, you set a budget for Christmas shopping, you will be able to better manage your spending because you have a limit that must not be exceeded, otherwise you will feel guilty. With this in mind, you will seek to discern the essential from the superfluous, you will prioritize your needs and thus maintain rational control over your impulses.

  3 – Don’t fall for it

Avoiding exposure to an abundance of advertising is not easy. Advertising is everywhere: TV, newspapers and magazines, posters and store fronts, it even appears in our news feed on social networks… However, techniques exist to remedy this. You can limit access to these advertisements in your smartphone applications or install an ad blocker on your favorite browser. Having the exact schedule of the programs you want to watch on TV also reduces your exposure to advertising campaigns.

On social networks, try to avoid anything that makes you want to buy, such as clothing brand accounts and shopping tips pages.

  4 – Give so as not to buy

Participating in charity work and investing one’s time in helping those in need positively diverts the brain’s attention. Helping others will give you a different feeling of well-being than buying something. We invite you to participate in garage sales, sort through your belongings and donate or sell what no longer suits you. You can also breathe new life into your forgotten clothes and objects and repair or recycle what no longer works. These are also very good ways to help the planet by reducing your carbon footprint.

  5 – Appreciate what you already have

If you value what you already have, you will have a harder time purchasing items to replace the ones you always use. St Augustine said: “Happiness is continuing to desire what we have”.

  6 – Tools for your finances

Avoid unnecessary purchases, set financial goals, regulate and budget expenses, become aware of your financial habits and finally, free yourself from buying fever: so many important points made easily achievable with the advent of financial applications. There are several, available regardless of the platform. Mostly free, they will help you better manage and organize yourself financially.

7- Consult a psychologist

Compulsive purchases can exist to compensate for a psychological problem or a situation of unhappiness. They are then considered a form of addiction, even if this addiction often involves less seriousness.

If you feel that you cannot do without purchases or that you consider them as compensation, consulting will do you a lot of good in regaining control of your life. You will be able to consult psychologists specializing in the management of emotions and compulsive behaviors on Psy n You , at the single rate of €39 per session