There’s nothing wrong with a dopamine hit to combat intergenerational trauma and everyday stress. Impulsive or emotional spending delivers that hit, but it’s unhealthy. How can you break the spending habit?
#1: Do I need this? Emotional spending is often a coping mechanism to deal with stress and negative emotions. So before heading to the mall, ask yourself if you are shopping for something you really want or need.
#2: Am I being financially responsible? It’s fine to treat yourself to your daily coffee, donut, or bagel. But those small everyday expenses can add up fast. A short latte is around $4.00 before extras and the tip. That’s about $25 a week or almost $100 a month on something that you can make at home.
#3: Am I going to wear that? Negative emotions can make us want to buy new clothes to feel better. But do you need to update everything in your closet? Does everything have to be a brand name? How often will you wear it? If retail therapy truly is the only way to feel better in the moment, try a thrift or secondhand store instead.
We often use retail therapy to feel better. But when we actually understand why we’re spending, we can recognize our triggers and see that they don’t have any actual power!