Ready to shop more intentionally? Here are my top mindful shopping tips that will help you avoid impulse buying.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links at no extra cost. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Items indicated with (similar) are items I DO NOT personally own. I try to read reviews before linking, but please read reviews and size guides, and consider these mindful shopping tips before purchasing 🙂
There are many reasons to practice mindful shopping. Overconsumption impacts our brains, making us constantly want new items and never truly satisfied with our wardrobe. The results are bad for the environment, our wallets and our wardrobe.
These mindful shopping tips will help you make better decisions while shopping. Each of these tips may not apply to every purchase you make. You may sacrifice some pinpoints for others, but they will all help you make more mindful decisions while shopping.
In this post, I will be sharing my tips and tricks for mindful shopping that help me be more intentional while shopping and eliminate impulse purchases.
Mindful Shopping Tips
1. Slow down
Add the item to your wishlist, let your cart sit overnight, ask the store to hold the item for 24 hours or simply leave the shop for a few hours while you think about it. If it’s a situation where you feel as though you cannot possibly leave the item behind, take a moment to think about how the item will fit into your wardrobe, how many ways you can wear it and if it’s really worth it.
2. Make a wishlist
One of the best ways to practice mindful shopping is to make a wishlist of items you want and set a time frame for how long something has to be on your wishlist before you purchase it. As you revisit the list over time, you will be ready to delete some items and ready to purchase others.
3. See if you can find the item second-hand
Shopping second-hand is always better for the environment (and often cheaper) than shopping retail.
4. Consider if the item fits your lifestyle
Will you actually wear the item in your day-to-day life, or will it just sit in your closet?
5. Identify holes in your wardrobe
Is the item you are considering purchasing replacing a perfectly functional item you already own? Is it something you actually need, or is it just something you don’t already have?
When styling the items in your wardrobe, identify the pieces that would make getting dressed in the morning easier. Then, document every time you wish you had that item to complete your look. Once you have determined that your wardrobe would benefit from the piece, add it to your closet.
6. Think of how many ways you can style the item
Does it easily work in your wardrobe, or would you need to buy additional items to make it work? How many ways can you style it with the pieces you already have in your wardrobe?
If you have to purchase more items to make the piece work or cannot see yourself wearing it in at least three ways, it’s probably not the right purchase for your closet.
7. Think of what else this money could buy
Is it equivalent to a coffee? A full gas tank? A meal? A pair of shoes? A bag? Possibly your rent? Is there something else on your wishlist that you have wanted for months that you could finally buy with this money? Sometimes putting the cos in a different context gives you a new perspective.
8. Be intentional about the brands you shop from
Before you hit “add to cart,” take a second to think about the brand you are shopping from. Do you support its values and mission? Is it ethical? Sustainable? Are you proud to shop from this brand?
Good on You and Re/Make are great resources for learning more about a brand’s ethics and sustainability initiatives. You may be surprised at how the brands you know and love are rated. I’m not saying that the rating is the end all be all on if you should shop with them or not, but these resources provide good insight to brands’ ethics and sustainability initiatives so you are knowledgeable and can decide for yourself if these pinpoints are deal breakers (or makers) for you.
At the end of the day, how a fashion company conducts itself is out of the consumer’s control, but we can do a small part by supporting brands we believe in.
Bonus tip: Consider if you would purchase the item if it wasn’t from that brand. Is the logo or identifiable branding integral to the design of the item? If so, think twice about the purchase.
9. Consider if this item really fits your personal style.
Are you really purchasing it for yourself, or are you buying it because you could see someone else, such as your favorite TikToker, wearing it? Do you actually like the item, or is it just a current trend? Really dissect what it is you like about the item. Does it work with the main pieces in your wardrobe? Is it true to your style?
If you are having a hard time discovering your personal style, try tracking your outfits for a while. This will help you figure out what you love and what makes you feel your best so that when you’re shopping, you know how to make the right decisions.
10. Don’t hunt for new items to want
This mindful shopping tip came to me while trying to create my Christmas wishlist this holiday season. I realized that when I am trying to hunt for new items to want, I often end up with items that I don’t really need and don’t feel genuine to me. I’ve also experienced this when impulse shopping sales, which I will address in the next tip.
11. During sales, only shop items you have already identified as items on your wishlist
It’s not a “good deal” if it isn’t something would have paid full price for. To avoid impulse buying things you don’t really love (or need) simply because you think it’s a good deal, only purchase sale items if they are already on your wishlist. If you do come across something new on sale that you are considering, ask yourself if you would buy this for 2x the price, or if you just want it because it’s cheap.
12. Don’t hyper-fixate on an outfit in a photo or video
This is a hard one. Especially when so much style inspiration comes from online forms such as Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok. It’s easy to be influenced into thinking you need an item someone else has, but in reality, you need to identify the items you want in your wardrobe on your own. It’s an intimate, personal decision, and setting out to copy an exact outfit you found online, in my experience, never works out the way you planned.
I tried desperately to quickly recreate two different outfits I had found on Pinterest. I forced items I didn’t truly love to make a similar look, and it failed miserably. From now on, I will be using Pinterest as a guideline for styling my own wardrobe and instead of hyper-fixating on a photo.
13. Think twice (or possibly three times) when shopping online
Especially when it comes to non-refundable purchases (like sales and second-hand shopping). I make this mistake on Poshmark ALL. THE. TIME. I see something and think it’s a good deal, or they offer me a bigger discount, and I take the plunge. And it nearly never works in my favor. Note to self: SLOW DOWN.
14. Ask yourself, “would I have liked it 5 years ago and will I like it 5 years from now?”
I saw this tip on TikTok, and I think it’s a fun thing to think about. The idea is that this question will help you find overlapping elements and define your personal style.
I also like this question because sometimes I feel like I am holding myself back from dressing like the person I want to be. I haven’t stopped thinking about another quote I heard on TikTok that was along the lines of “the way you live your day-to-day life is your life” because it made me realize that I have to be who I want to be (and dress how I want to dress) now because I am living my life now. Dress (and shop) for who you plan to become, and start becoming that person today.
15. Don’t buy something just for one occasion
I recently realized I’d rather re-wear an outfit I love to an event than buy something brand new because the outfit I already own feels like a true representation of me (it’s also more sustainable). If you must get something new for an occasion, try to make it something you will re-wear after the event.
If you cannot see yourself wearing the piece again, consider renting the outfit on Rent the Runway, FashionPass or Nuuly. I, personally, have not tried any of these services because I don’t feel that using their (long-term) subscription fits my lifestyle. Still, I do think that these services are great for one-off occasions when you want to wear something new that you’ll never wear again.
Overall, try to invest in pieces you will re-wear, and fight the urge to buy something new if you don’t need to.
16. Don’t buy anything that doesn’t make you feel great when you put it on
To quote The Blindside (2009), “If you don’t absolutely love it in the store, you won’t wear it. The store’s where you like it the best. So before you choose something, think of yourself wearing it. Say to yourself, ‘Is this me?’”
If there’s any uncertainty with the item, say no. You should feel as if you cannot leave the store without it, not like it’s something you “can make work.”
17. No extravagant shopping sprees or hauls
When we get too high on the dopamine of hitting add to cart, we end up with a bunch of items that may not work with our existing closet or, at the end of the day, just don’t feel like us. Building an eclectic wardrobe of special pieces takes time, so don’t rush it.
I’ve found that when I try to redecorate a room or revamp my closet all in one sitting, the items I purchase don’t feel as authentic to me. I end up making quick decisions trying to force items to fill the holes in my closet/home, and I end up with items I don’t really love. It’s taken me years of making this mistake to realize that the only way to have pieces I truly feel connected to is to slowly collect items.
18. Can you wear this item in multiple seasons?
This question helps with mindful shopping because it forces you to think about the versatility of the item. Can you wear the item in multiple seasons? Will you continue to wear it for multiple fashion seasons? Realistically, you won’t be able to wear every item in multiple (weather) seasons, but you should always aim to purchase items you can wear for multiple fashion seasons.
19. Consider the material
Is the garment made of quality materials? How long will it last? Materials I personally am drawn to when shopping are cotton, cashmere, linen, hemp, silk, wool and tencel, and materials I try to stay away from include polyester, rayon, nylon acetate and acrylic.