Not wanting is better than having. Wowwwww. Changed my life right there

Hey Kate, Great video. I agree with so much you said here. I too realized that as much as I love something, if it’s not black, white, brown, or denim, I’m not going to wear it. It will just sit in my closet reminding me of my mistake. Now that’s all I buy. I know it’s boring and some people might think even sad but at least I’m not wasting my money.

A cool little book I got is called 30 Days to Stop Being a Shopaholic by Harper Daniels. Taught me mindfulness exercises. It was cute.

I got pulled into fast fashion for handbags during the pandemic. Watching shopping channels was a coping mechanism. I’m now looking to invest in a few luxury bags that I love. I’m glad I’m over that phase because I spent money I could have used on a luxury bag.

The thing that has worked for me is to limit myself to one purchase per month. Of course there’s certain criteria I set for the purchase but each person can determine their own criteria or rules. I screenshot and save images of wishlist items and purchase one item from the list. I include preloved items too. If they happen to no longer be available then it wasn’t meant to be. It gives me something to look forward to and eliminates the overwhelm of boxes getting delivered all the time, not to mention the overwhelm of returns.

Some great points. I'm a Black based girl as well, and it's taken me a loooong time to learn to love something without having to have it.

thanks for sharing! i have a similar philosophy about acquiring new stuff- especially clothes. i don't know that i ever had a shopping addiction per se. but i grew up poor and my parents were borderline hoarders. Nobody taught me how to declutter and whenever i saw a good bargain, i felt like i was really missing out if i didn't buy the thing. I've had to whittle down a massive clothing collection every time i move. Between gaining weight, losing 100 lbs and multiple pregnancies, i had clothing in ALL sizes and was terrified to get rid of it because what if i "need" it again? This year, i finally got down to my goal weight and don't plan to have any more kids. I finally got rid of everything that doesn't fit my body RIGHT NOW and the final catalyst???? i was SICK of looking at FLOWERS!!! Almost everything i owned was floral. i felt like the busily patterned clothes drew eyes to me in public and i didn't want to be looked at anymore. i want to be PLAIN, invisible, and for people to not talk to me at the grocery store 🤣🥴 i finally fit into the "someday" jeans i held onto for 8 YEARS. I tried them on and expeditiously donated them because i remembered, oh right! i haven't worn jeans in 8 years because i can't stand how they feel on my body. i guess i thought I'd feel differently if they were flattering. Nope i still hate jeans. Out the door! i had to get rid of all the uncomfortable designer shoes that i was never going to wear. I'm a size 11. So finding NICE shoes in my size and price range was rare. i felt a rabid need to aquire shoes for events that never happened. i only wear sneakers except for church. there's still a lot of work to be done. i still have a dresser AND closet full of stuff that i only wear about half of. The rest is sentimental junk from high school (things my mom bought me that i can't toss after she passed away) or stuff my husband bought when we were dating. Not sure what to do with it all. i hate feeling like my bedroom is a storage unit. I got married when i was over 300 lbs, so it's safe to say i probably will never wear my wedding dress again. But it's just sitting in a box.

Heavy on the hair and nails. I wore my hair in braids most of last year and then would wash my own hair and put it in a bun when it didn’t looks good down anymore. I was getting silk presses every week before that and I work from home. Nobody would even see it lol I was like this is crazy.

That last one has gotten the best of me in recent weeks. What really irritates me is seeing it come back in stock days later. I understand online retail can be cyclical with processing returns or even receiving old inventory from your stores, but I feel like it should be illegal to advertise like that knowingly.

I can’t wait to get a cute black pair of scrubs to wear at work along with my other black outfits so I can finally stop spending on clothing. I always thought my funds would increase but since they have not then the least I could do is decrease my expenditures. I also plan on investing in books and other cheap hobbies instead of overspending on clothing

This was the most practical no nonsense approach to dealing with shopping addiction. I I really appreciated this video and I'm definitely saving it to refer to when i get the urge to shop. 💜

You made so many good points in this video. I love wearing black too. And my last move downsizing from 3 bed/2 bath home into a 2 bed/2 bath apartment really taught me a valuable lesson about accumulating things. Thank you for sharing. 🖤

I agree with the budget point. BUT I still have a budget sheet so that I'm aware if it my normal or not.

So many good points! - I am a New Yorker so black is my uniform and I buy multiples of everything I love. Smart cookie you figured that out when you’re young! One other thing I did a while ago is remove all the shopping apps off my phone. If I want to seek them out I can but they are off my deck if my apps:-) Great new apartment!

My shopping habit is horrible but I get items that cost very little if it’s on sale I am buying it no matter what I will often pay installments on what I want I am a shein addict also Walmart and target if they have a sale I am there!!❤❤

I just realized (literally like a couple weeks ago) that I am most definitely a fellow shopping addict. I 1,000% agree with what you said in the start of the video! All those 'easy', 'no-brainer' suggestions to ease out of the addictive lifestyle did absolutely nothing. Nope Excel spreadsheet, you'll make room for this $400 purchase you said I can't do! 😆😰😱💸Thank you SO much for making this. I can relate to pretty much everything you said/suggested. I really feel you nailed triggers/impulses & realistic work arounds in a way no one else has. Bravo!

Buying for fantasy self and KZfaq hype are my biggest downfalls. I have some clothes and shoes I liked the look of and I thought of all the ways to wear them, but when the time comes, I always pick something that's more comfortable 🥴 And with YT, I will see someone praising a specific bag, only for me to realise I already have one that's very similar and I absolutely hate it 😂 Always have a look at what you already have before any purchase! I switched from a closed wardrobe to open racks and my clothing spending went down to ZERO. I was buying duplicates because I forgot I already have something similar.

Helpful tips. I feel like I’ve been following most of these tips but still need to do better with budgeting and saving. Maybe I’m the one who needs the spreadsheet 😅 but maybe I wasn’t as extreme as you. I think what you’ve discussed is a natural progression as we get older we learn more about our habits and start to make changes (for some of us)

What help for me is to contemplate how much time it takes to really consider if you like the item, compare prices, avoid scams and other hikups. I'm soon done with my 5-6 purse collection and then I plan to not buy anymore. I did not buy until I was 35 year old, so I know I could use my time on other thing than considering beautiful handbags... and the few pices I got now are very special and nice.

This is one of the best videos I’ve seen on shopping. So practical and doable! Thankyou!

Great tips, I do want to spend to have multiples of clothes I love to wear

Kate, your video was a game changer for me--seriously, I took notes! Thanks for sharing the things that have worked for you. I'm going to apply the same thought process to my own life. I really appreciate the points you made.

Funny that your first example goes against those hot pink Hunter boots! 😂

Great video, Kate! Thank you for the great tips!

Great video. Totally agree with the temptation of pre-loved sites ❤

Loved this video! I'm going through this now.

I feel like you get me the most! Subscribed!

Love your thought process and it makes sense. Hope you can keep it up! More updates on how this thought process is working would be good.. how to avoid temptation because it will happen!

I think you make very valid points. Thank you for your video and sharing.

Love your honesty!

Great video Kate!

Shout out to ladies realizing you can't shop your way to personal fulfilment and satisfaction. I'd like to point out how many items can look amazing in an insta post but IRL it's just too over the top. It's the fantasy aspect you touched on! It's easy to forget that in Insta posts and marketing photos, the reason something can look so drop dead gorgeous is because there's an ENTIRE TEAM of Hair artists, makeup artists, stylists and lighting professionals all contributing to a vision to SELL that item. That's why something can look so great on a model and then we get it and it just looks "BLEH" because it actually is just BLEH. But we remember the photo and so put it in our closets/drawers...never to wear it again and then try to sell it when we declutter years later for a fraction of the cost on Ebay. Going back to only buying things I try on in stores has been key to getting over my shopping addiction. It's important to try items in the conditions you will actually be wearing them.

I just got called out on all my gala outfits that I’m not invited to. 🤣

Thank you, Sonny!

Great video thank you. I really need to stay off of Fashionphile lol.

Would you say it is cured or you are taking a long break? Black is my fave color as well.

Funny how times change. Black is quite a comfortable colour, right?

I have the same philosophy. I just wish I had learned it at your age. 😊

Hi, good video. Thank you.

Great helpful video.

Thnx for your video. With that said, may I suggest when you want to donate your clothes, considering donated to women’s shelter or to churches or even organizations that provide to under privileged individuals here in our own backyards or in third world countries so you have the satisfaction of knowing that’s not ending up somewhere on landfills.. for me, I preferred to donate to charities that will put them to good use as those I mentioned above instead of goodwill or Salvation Army since they do resales or end up on landfills..

I just came across this video... where's your black dress from? haha

Which events lol when ppl are too busy in front of the camera and texting? Life was better before 2010

What Gala? 😂