I often wonder what my friends think when they ask me to go shopping with them.\u00a0 Are they worried I\u2019ll judge them? \u00a0Is shopping with a financial planner like going out to eat with a nutritionist? \u00a0Will they think I\u2019m mentally calculating how much they are spending and thinking, \u201cYou know if you put that money in savings and earned X, you would have X amount?\u201d\u00a0 Well, none of that is true.\u00a0 For one, I am terrible at math calculations in my head.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t do it.\u00a0 Secondly, I want to help people; judging doesn\u2019t help anybody.\u00a0 Not to mention, I\u2019m right next to them spending my money versus saving it.<\/p>\n

Personally, I believe that as long as your priorities are in order there is nothing wrong with shopping.\u00a0 Let\u2019s be real, we all have to buy clothes at some point.\u00a0 Clothes wear out, styles change, we change shape, all resulting in a need to buy new clothes.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019ve read enough articles and seen enough \u201cWhat Not To Wear\u201d episodes to know that what you wear makes a strong visual statement about how you see yourself. \u00a0\u00a0Being financially responsible does not mean you have to sacrifice style.<\/p>\n

I had the opportunity to go on a little shopping spree this past week with a friend and shop all for me!\u00a0 I don\u2019t usually have a problem buying things for my son or my husband but when it comes to me personally, I often feel guilty.\u00a0 (Which is a topic I\u2019ll elaborate on another day.)\u00a0 I am happy to report however that I very much enjoyed myself and feel great about my purchases.\u00a0 No guilt!\u00a0 I don\u2019t have one regrettable purchase.<\/p>\n

So here are my tips to help you get the most out of your shopping sprees and stay on track with your priorities.<\/p>\n

Know Your Habits<\/b>.\u00a0 We all have different shopping habits.\u00a0 For example, I don\u2019t shop for clothes every week or every month.\u00a0 It\u2019s more like one or two big shopping trips a year with a few smaller purchases in between.\u00a0 (Hint, if you track your spending, you\u2019ll be able to better understand your own habits.)<\/p>\n

Make A List.\u00a0 <\/b>Lists, lists, and lists.\u00a0 I love lists!\u00a0 Make a list of the pieces you really need to add to your wardrobe and others you\u2019d really like to have.\u00a0\u00a0 It helps that I usually purge my closet before I go shopping, getting rid of the clothes that no longer fit, that are stained or too worn, or I just no longer wear.\u00a0 This helps me be more aware of what I already have and where I need to fill in.<\/p>\n

LOVE It.<\/b>\u00a0 When I\u2019m shopping for myself without my son, I try everything on.\u00a0 Even t-shirts.\u00a0 If it doesn\u2019t fit well or I don\u2019t LOVE it, I don\u2019t buy it.\u00a0 If it\u2019s questionable in the dressing room, I\u2019ve learned that it will likely just sit in my closet, never being worn becoming a waste of money.\u00a0 I also make sure I have other pieces that coordinate with what I\u2019m buying.<\/p>\n

Evaluate The Value.\u00a0 <\/b>Even if it fits well, is the perfect color, would be a perfect addition to my wardrobe, it has to pass one last test for me.\u00a0 Am I comfortable with the price tag?\u00a0 This means you might find me crouched down in the dressing room with my calculator crunching some numbers. (Like I said, I\u2019m terrible doing math in my head.)\u00a0 If it\u2019s questionable, I don\u2019t have a problem leaving it and giving myself some more time to think about it.\u00a0 Most stores have no problem holding something for you until the end of the day so you won\u2019t have to worry about someone else grabbing it while you\u2019re thinking.<\/p>\n

Shopping With A Friend.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>Despite that sometimes shopping with friends can lead to trouble, having a second opinion can be really helpful.\u00a0\u00a0 The key to shopping with friends is first to be confident and comfortable with your own spending amounts.\u00a0 If you\u2019re shopping beyond your limits just to fit in, you\u2019re asking for trouble.\u00a0 \u00a0If your friends are true friends and you layout ahead of time what you\u2019re looking for and a spending range, my guess is they will jump on board to help you make that perfect purchase.<\/p>\n

So the next time you head out on a shopping spree, set parameters you\u2019re comfortable with and allow yourself to have some fun! \u00a0Being mindful as you shop will help you get the most out of your experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I often wonder what my friends think when they ask me to go shopping with them.\u00a0 Are they worried I\u2019ll judge them? \u00a0Is shopping with a financial planner like going out to eat with a nutritionist? \u00a0Will they think I\u2019m mentally calculating how much they are spending and thinking, \u201cYou know if you put that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","sharing_disabled":false,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[14,15,18,24],"tags":[10,25],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9rIpx-5N","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":364,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359\/revisions\/364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}