How many times have you gone shopping, arrived home, put the bags down, started looking through everything and thought, “what did I buy?”  It has happened to the best of us.  I have really learned and taught myself  “how to shop.”  It has taken years to get to this point and of course I have my moments, but we all can shop smarter.

The top 5 reasons we come home with random items we wonder why we purchased are:

1. Women love the thrill of the purchase.

2. The lighting in dressing rooms and mirrors may make the outfit look better but, when they arrive home it looks very different.

3. Seeing an item on a mannequin completely styled will sell skinny jeans to a person who may not have the shape for them, but they love how it looks.

4. Pieces are purchased separately and when they get them home they can not be matched up.

5. The price was right, sale, huge discounts, one day only…

So, your saying, YES!  I totally do that, but now what what do I do to stop?

You know I wouldn’t leave you hanging.  Here are a few ways to avoid buying for the sake of buying:

1. Go with a list of items you need, like a grocery list for clothing, shoes, and accessories.

2. Shop with outfits in mind rather than pieces.

3. Allocate only a certain amount of money for the shopping trip.

4.  Have at least 3 ways in mind for how to wear the piece you are buying.

5. Don’t go with a friend. When shopping alone you are less likely to buy on impulse and you can rationalize better.

Now…I say to my fellow shop-a-holics…go out and shop smarter.

Kisses..Dawn

Dawn Del Russo is a NYC fashion stylist and owner of www.belladawn.com. She has been featured in magazines US Weekly, Life & Style, InStyle, Cosmo, Real Simple, Redbook and Fox 5, Better TV for expert fashion advice. Dawn is also the author of “101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic LIfestyle”
Photo Credit © Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com