Have you heard of retail therapy? 💰🧐

Have you ever had a bad day and found yourself scrolling endlessly on a random website?

I understand.

Before you know it, you’re adding items to your cart – a cute top you don’t really need, home decor pieces that’ll probably sit in a corner, or maybe just a bunch of small $5 and $10 items that “don’t really count.”

The reality is that retail therapy feels incredible in the moment. However, it actually leaves you drowning in buyer’s remorse by suffocating under clutter, and watching your budget crumble month after month. 

In this newsletter, I want to expose what retail therapy really costs you and give you bulletproof strategies to break free – so you can finally take control of your money and your future.

It’s time to let go of these myths and start embracing what works for you.

The ugly truth about retail therapy

In simple terms, retail therapy is emotional spending. Except, it’s emotional spending that we’ve put a band-aid over and glamorized, but at the end of the day, it is still emotional spending.

In other words, it’s when we’re shopping, not because we need something, but because we are trying to feel something.

Retail therapy lights up your brain’s reward system, and you get a dopamine hit. It makes you feel temporarily better, excited, happy, and completely in control of your situation. However, it is not the solution.

It might feel like a solution in the moment, but the consequences can be devastating.

The dopamine hit behind it all

When you feel out of control in other areas of your life, shopping creates the illusion that you’re in charge. It gives you a false sense of power over your circumstances. This, in turn, gives you a dopamine hit.

Add in social media triggers, marketing emails, targeted ads – they’re all designed to catch us in these vulnerable moments.

A lot of people try to trick themselves into thinking, “Oh, it’s just me buying something small. I’m just buying a $10 shirt. I’m only paying $5 for this home decor and just $5 for that cute accessory.”

However, it really does add up.

Remember, emotional spending doesn’t mean you are spending over the top. You’re trying to feel in control, and this is what’s giving you that false illusion of control.

What retail therapy is actually stealing from you

Here’s the brutal reality of what’s happening:

• You spend on stuff that you don’t even want or need
• Your financial goals take a little bit longer to achieve
• Sometimes you feel guilty when you look at the item that you bought

And if you’re saving for a house, paying off debt, planning a vacation, or trying to build an emergency fund, that $5 here and $10 there is literally stealing from your future self.

What to do instead (this is the most important part!)

You don’t need to spend money to feel good. There are countless ways to trigger that same dopamine hit without destroying your financial goals.

For example:

• Exercising gives you a dopamine hit
• Hanging out with a friend or calling a friend
• Journaling
• Watching your favorite show

Those are all simple ways to get a dopamine hit that do not cost any money.

Here’s what I do: when I want to feel more in control, I like to clean. So instead of spending money, I can organize a drawer. It helps me feel like I’m back in control.

How to build stronger habits

You can build better habits. Start by tracking your triggers to see when this is happening. Are you shopping when you’re:

• Stressed about work?
• Feeling lonely?
• Comparing yourself to others on social media?
• Bored on weekends?

Once you know your triggers, you can have your healthy alternatives ready.

Also, just a reminder that spending isn’t your enemy, but I do want you to spend intentionally.

Especially as summer is coming up, a lot of us are going to be spending more. Figure out what is making you spend a bit more so you can plan for it instead of being surprised by it.

The goal isn’t to never spend money – it’s to spend with purpose instead of emotion.

Until next time,