How to Succeed in a No Shopping Challenge

One of my resolutions for 2016 was to become more financially responsible and break my pesky habit of impulse shopping. So I’ve set out a series of smaller goals for myself and one of them was to do a no shopping challenge. Well I’m happy to say I didn’t shop for the entire month of March and survived! That is saying something from a shopaholic who loves a good deal. While it may seem like a daunting task it can be done. Here are five ways that you can succeed in a no shopping challenge from someone who has tried, failed (x10), and finally succeeded!

How to Succeed in a No Shopping Challenge

1) Avoid Temptation Like the Plague 

Don’t create pit falls for yourself. If you know you can’t see a sale without finding something to take home, just don’t go there. Would you take a recovering alcoholic to a bar? No! So don’t put yourself in the path of temptation where you might trip up.

2) Know Your Triggers

Do you shop when you’re upset or bored? Knowing what triggers an impulsive shopping spree puts you one step ahead. Try to examine your past shopping choices and see if there was another factor at play. Go the next step and create a back up plan for these moments, finding other outlets for those impulses.

3) Make a Wishlist

You’re bound to find thing you like over the four weeks but rather than adding it to your shopping bag, create a Pinterest board specifically for these items and pin it there. That way you can have all the items you lusted after in one place come the end of the month. And who knows, maybe waiting a few weeks before hitting ‘add to cart’ will pay off and some of those items will be on sale!

4) Shop Your Closet

If you are on a month long no-shop, it’s likely that you already have an overflowing wardrobe. Take a real hard look at your closet and give it a good clean out. You’re likely to find pieces you’ve forgotten about or have never even worn (guilty). I also find it helpful to organize my closet like a store would for easy “shopping” at home.

5) Set a Goal and a Reward

Don’t just try to go cold turkey. Set smaller goals (i.e. no shopping for one month, sticking to an allotted shopping budget, etc) that are steps towards a larger one (being financially responsible) and celebrate the success of meeting those smaller goals. Plan out a reward a head of time if you succeed in meeting your goal for the month.

Have you ever gone without shopping for a month? What tactics did you use to kick the habit? Let me know in the comments! I’m curious to hear your stories as I take on April sans shopping.

*I do not own any of the pictures in this post. They were found here and here