Shopping Questions | Shopping Habits

Oct 17, 2011 by April    4 Comments    Posted under: Shopping Habits

Do you know what types of shopping questions to ask in order to ensure you have healthy shopping habits?

Most people don’t.

Until working in the organizing industry, I didn’t.

Learning how to help people deal with their clutter opened up a whole new world for me, providing insight to the world of shopping habits and what shopping questions weren’t being asked before the purchase.

Ultimately, leading to a lack of direction when the “stuff” entered a space and beginning the piles that multiplied until occupants were unable to enjoy the quality of life they desired.

Shopping Questions People DO Ask:

• How am I going to pay for this?
• Will it fit in the car?
• Am I really the first one to own it?
• I wonder if my co-workers / friends will be jealous?

Necessary Shopping Questions TO Ask:

Before you head to the register take stock of your cart. Then ask the following of EACH item:

• Is this something “I need” or something I want right now?
• Where will this live in my home / office? Can I put it away as soon as I’m there?

Shopping questions that help you make an educated decision can work wonders on your physical clutter.

By asking “Where will this live in my home / office”, you’re making a decision if an item entering your space has a sense of direction and will be easy to put it away once home or at work. Eliminating one of the ways clutter can accumulate.

Partner that question with other shopping questions such as “is this something I need or something I want right now” and you begin to implement the Weekly Challenge of Self Assessment into your shopping habits.

Shopping Questions That Affect the Bottom Line:

• Can I afford this?
• How much am I really saving?
• How many paychecks will it take to pay for this purchase?

Shopping questions that highlight the flow of money can be a great way to detour current shopping habits too. For many folks, it isn’t enough to ask “can I afford this”. However, breaking down the savings (when something is on sale – with a red tag / sticker) can often be a gentle shift in the habit changing efforts. Example: if you’re only saving $1.17, is it really a deal?

With one client in particular we discussed something she really wanted, new living room furnishings.

I asked her to find a picture of what she wanted. We then wrapped her credit card in the image. This worked as a physical reminder every time she went shopping with friends. Before she put the charges on the card she weighed whether the new clothes, shoes, purse … was worth waiting longer for a bigger goal she had.

Then we determined how many paychecks it would take save up for the living room set if she didn’t use the money on other miscellaneous items (that ended up in piles with the tags still on them 8 months later).

We also calculated, with interest, how much one of those items had ended up truly costing. 8 months later – tags still on, unused … the percentage of the paycheck was astounding.

Lifestyle Shopping Questions:

• Am I expecting this to improve my life in some way? Will it?
• What will I need to do to take care of this item? Dust it? Launder it? Will I?

Remember back to the first Weekly Challenge – Start at the beginning? When I shared what inspired this series in the first place. Here’s where we take the work you did last week and combine it with the work you’ll do this week.

Knowing what you’re expecting of an item can be a serious reality check.

I promise you, organizing products are only meant to be a tool in your efforts – not the solution to your problems. If you’re willing to do the work so these tools can assist you, then you’re on the right track. If you make a purchase thinking “this is going to solve my [fill in the blank] problem” then prepare for more clutter in your space.

Oh, and don’t forget, for every item you bring into a space you must now commit to owning it. Complete with whatever task list that presents. Dusting. Washing. Maintaining. Will you do these things? If you can answer yes, then you’re on the right track. If you chuckle, knowing that owning this item is destined for a pile somewhere – then it may be time to rethink your decision.

In the end, asking yourself the shopping questions that lead you to the life you want to live is really what it’s all about.

Share your thoughts over on The Mental Clutter Facebook Page …

What shopping questions do you ask yourself WHILE shopping?

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