How to Stop Buying Clothes You Never Wear

Is one of your new years goals to stop buying clothes that you never wear? If so, then Ive got some tips that I hope will help you!

Everything Im about to share comes from personal experience. For more than a decade, I was a problem shopper and Ive honestly wasted tens of thousands of dollars on clothes that never made it out of my closet. (Ouch!)

Its a hard pill to swallow so I try not to focus on the mistakes that Ive made and instead, I think about the lessons that Ive learned.

Its been a long journey but Im grateful for everything life has taught me about why we shop and how to change our habitsand today, Im sharing it all with you. Lets get started!

Why You Keep Buying Clothes You Never Wear

Before we can talk about how to stop a bad habit, we need to begin by creating awareness around why it happens in the first place. After all, you cant solve a problem if you dont know whats causing it!

With that said, here are the top three reasons why you keep buying clothes you never wear.

YOU MAKE EMOTIONAL PURCHASES

As a former shopaholic, I can say with confidence that the number one reason people make bad purchases is that they use shopping to satisfy an emotional need.

Weve all heard of retail therapy, right? If youre having a bad day, buy something new and youll feel better at least for a little while. (In the long term, it will probably lead to negative feelings of guilt and regret but theres no denying the short term pleasure of buying something new.)

But lets take a deeper look at why this happens.

Id argue that emotional purchases are usually fuelled by something more than just a bad day. Instead, I believe theyre often rooted in insecuritywe feel lacking in some way so we buy something new thinking it will somehow fill a void.

This is especially true with clothing because when we buy new clothes, it can feel like were putting on a suit of armourits a way of protecting ourselves when we feel vulnerable. Here are some examples:

  • Feeling insecure about your weight? Buy something slimming.
  • Feeling insecure about your career? Buy something expensive so people know that youre successful.
  • Feeling insecure about your appearance? Buy 4-inch stiletto heels (ahem this was my personal vice for years).

Buying new things when we feel bad about ourselves might seem like a way to fake it until you make it but realistically, when we buy clothing that doesnt represent who we really are, it doesnt get worn. Frequent emotional shopping is a quick way to end up with a closet full of clothes that you never wear!

YOU DONT KNOW YOUR PERSONAL STYLE

Another common problem is confusion about your personal styleand this is another lesson I had to learn the hard way! What I realised is that there can be a huge difference between the styles you admire and the styles you actually enjoy wearing.

For example, I adore vintage dresses (especially 40s style tea dresses) and I used to have a huge collection of them. In fact, YEARS ago I nearly created a fashion blog dedicated to them! I loved to look at them hanging in my closet but at the end of the day, I rarely wore them.

At the time, this really confused me because I genuinely loved the style but when I went to get dressed, I always found myself reaching for neutrals and basics instead. Things like jeans, tank tops and t-shirt dresses were in high rotation and my beautiful vintage dresses remained in the back of my closet.

What I eventually realised is that what I like looking at and what I like wearing arent always the same thing. Think of it this wayyou can go to a museum and admire the art but not necessarily want it hanging in your own home, right? The same applies to our closets too.

YOURE INFLUENCED BY OTHERS

Finally, another reason why we end up with clothes we dont wear is because we let other people influence our purchases.

This can take many forms. Sometimes its as simple as buying a certain style because its what all your friends love. After all, shopping can be a really social activity and its easy to get caught up in the moment!

Other times, its a bit more complicated.

Theres no denying that TV, magazines and social media can also influence us. When you see your favourite Instagrammer wearing a gorgeous dress and drinking cocktails by the pool, sometimes its hard not to buy into the fantasy. You want the dress because you want the life theyre portrayingeven if it doesnt suit your personal style.

Retailers try to influence you by creating a similar fantasy in stores too. Everything from the music they play to the shop displaysor even how a store smellsis carefully curated.

Its all about so much more than selling you clothes. Instead, theyre trying to sell you a lifestyle and if theyre successful, you end up buying clothes that might not suit who you really are.

Shirts and a blazer on wooden hangers.

How to Stop Buying Clothes You Never Wear

OK, now that weve talked about why you keep buying clothes you never wear, lets look at some techniques that will help you change your shopping behaviour.

RECOGNISE YOUR SHOPPING TRIGGERS

My number one tip is to recognise your shopping triggers. Observe yourself for a few weekswhat happens in the moments immediately before you feel the desire to shop?

  • Did someone upset you?
  • Are you procrastinating doing a difficult task?
  • Did you walk by a favourite shop?
  • Are you comparing yourself to someone on the internet?

If your urge to buy new clothes is inspired by anything other than an intentional choice to add to your wardrobe, then odds are youre going to make bad decisions. Youre not in the right headspace so youll be easily influenced by sales, shop displays, and helpful sales associates.

Its a much better idea to walk away and shop at another time but in order to do this, you need to catch yourself in the act. This is why investing time and energy into recognising your shopping triggers is absolutely essential.

DO A WARDROBE AUDIT

My next tip is to do a wardrobe audit. This is to help you understand your true personal stylewhat do you actually like wearing?

Note that this is different to asking yourself what styles do you want to wear? Im not a fan of this question because if you were good at answering it, you wouldnt need this blog post!

Instead, I encourage you to reflect on your existing closet and ask yourself whats the difference between the clothes you wear all the time and the the clothes you dont.

Use this information to make better shopping decisions moving forward. Buy more of what you genuinely like wearing and stop buying everything else.

I know this sounds simple but Ive worked with so many women who get this wrong and Ive also made this mistake myself more times than I can remember. If you want to stop buying clothes that you never wear then dont skip this step!

PAUSE BEFORE YOU BUY + PLAN TO SHOP

My final tip is a two for one deal! Stop making impulse purchases by learning to pause before you buyand an easy way to do this is to plan to shop.

Again, lets break this down further.

Pressing pause means putting some space (time) between the impulse to shop and the actual purchase. There are two major reasons for doing this.

First, it will help you avoid making impulsive, emotional decisions. If youre shopping out of anger, frustration, or insecurity well, these feelings fade with time. Sometimes we just need to blow off steam or invest in self-care, and once we do the desire to shop disappears.

Time also helps reduce the impact of outside influences. It gives you an opportunity to reconnect with who you are and what you want most, so you can make more intentional decisions.

Even a little pausefive or ten minuteswill help but if you really want to stop buying clothes that you never wear then I encourage you to take things a step further.

Find a rhythm that works for you (once every few months or once a season) and plan to shop.

Take your time making a list, reflecting on your wardrobe audit, and doing your research. I can almost guarantee this one simple habit will help you make better clothing purchases moving forward.

Want to Create a Minimalist Wardrobe?

If youre interested in buying less clothes, then theres a good chance that youre interested in decluttering your closet and creating a minimalist wardrobe too. If this is the case, then here are a few resources you might find helpful:

Do you find it hard to stop buying clothes? If so, what do you struggle with the most? Alternatively, do you have a shopping tip youd like to share? Let us know in the comments! x

The post How to Stop Buying Clothes You Never Wear appeared first on Simply + Fiercely.


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