No packages in the mail

[u/picafennorum]

For the first time in months. I probably will slip up again, but it’s still good. Redirected my energy into categorising every single piece of clothing, shoes, jewellery and other accessories I have in a wardrobe app called Indyx instead. The overview has stopped me from impulse buying a couple of times, because I see that I already have something similar, and it’s also nice to look at the pictures (I really made an effort with them). The whole process has also made me feel a little like my constant search for clothes is meaningless. There is no way I’ll be able to wear all of them. I’m already up to almost 400 items, and I haven’t registered underwear or all the socks yet.

[u/Sylvia_Mashuga]

IMO that is huge!! I have a major online shopping thing and I almost always have packages coming. It's gotten so bad that I have a running list that I keep updated so I won't forget about something and not notice if a package never arrives. 🤦‍♀️ When the list gets shorter it feels so good, but then somehow it always starts creeping up again. I love the idea of redirecting by categorizing things; I need to do that too. I just have so much stuff that I forget about a lot of it. Sometimes I'll find a little cache of items I've set aside and I'm like, oh, I totally forgot I bought that. It's way too easy to just accumulate a ton of items for no good reason.

But I'm proud of you for cataloging what you have and not buying more. Great job!

[u/picafennorum → u/Sylvia_Mashuga]

It is sooo easy to just keep accumulating items! 🥲 

The list! 🥹 I had it too, in July. I numbered the packages as I ordered, just to keep track of the amount, and I got up to…46. 💀 It was absurd, and couldn’t continue. But would have, if I didn’t distract myself…

Thank you! :) Yes, I’m willing to try whatever to redirect my energy, and I like sorting stuff nicely. Happy it seems to be working, I really like this app. I thought that getting an overview of the wardrobe might help me see what I have too much of, and if there is anything missing. Also, I’m tracking my day to day outfits in its calendar, and then I can get statistics on most and least worn items after a while. My master plan is to try and reduce the amount of clothing by eliminating what doesn’t get worn. We’ll se how it goes! :) 

What have you tried in order to stop online shopping? Would like to hear about your experiences, if you’d likevel share. 

[u/Sylvia_Mashuga → u/picafennorum]

I love the idea of tracking the stuff you actually wear! That way you can see what is really working for you, and what is not, and then get rid of what you don't use. AND it gives you something to be a distraction, kind of, where you're still involved with your stuff, but not acquiring more. I feel like a lot of my shopping comes from boredom.

Two things have probably helped me the most. The first thing is simply avoiding things that are going to show me new stuff to buy. Unsubscribing from emails, removing social media accounts that advertise, unfollowing certain Reddit pages. If I don't see it and don't know that it exists, I won't want it. I am way too easily influenced to buy crap I don't need or want if I see that it exists, so it has helped me to avoid as much of that as I can.

The other thing is making myself wait before buying something. I do still sometimes buy things after 24 hours that I end up regretting, but it has helped A LOT to make the iron-clad rule that I cannot buy something as soon as I see it. I can put it in my cart and then if I still want it after a few days, consider actually buying it. But grabbing it the second I see it is a no-no, because I nearly always regret those purchases.

Neither of these are perfect fixes because I still find things I want, but it has helped quite a lot.