To Buy Or Not To Buy

It’s literally the question that haunts my dreams. I shop the way some people play slot machines: obsessively + compulsively.

Well, that was pre-Posh days. I’m honestly getting a lot better at resisting the urge to impulse-buy things, and at being more conscientious of sustainability. But there are still a lot of times I’m in a store, cute-item-I-don’t-absolutely-need in hand, paralyzed with indecision.

The thing is, it’s so hard to know whether you’re going to regret buying it, or regret not buying. How do you know? How!? That’s what this post is going to help us figure out. I received a bunch of tips from my Insta babes on deciding whether or not to buy something.

Need Or Want?

Think: do I need this right now or can I wait and try to buy second-hand? Honestly such a good tip because a good deal lights me up, so if I think I can find it second-hand, I don’t have such a hard time saying no to something. But also think: do I need this or just want it? Very practical and honestly not so useful for me since the majority of things I buy I don’t actually need.

You Have To Love It

Do you love it? Like LOOOVE love it? If you’re not super excited about it in the store, you won’t be excited about it at home.

$1 Per Wear Rule

How much wear will you get out of it compared to how much you’re going to spend? A great general rule of thumb: if you’re going to get $1 per wear, it’s worth it. For example, if you’re going to wear a $20 sweater 20 times, it’s a green light.

Resale Value

An important thing to consider for resellers (and something that I can’t not think about now): what is the resale value after you cut the tags off? If you buy something, wear it once and decide you’re not that excited about it, how much of your money will you be able to get back by reselling it?

If You Can’t Stop Thinking About It

One of the most recommended tips was to leave the item, and if you’re still thinking about it, then you should buy it. The amount of thinking time required varied:

- Once your home from the store

- 24 hrs

- More than 1 day

- A few days/a week

- 30 days (for online shopping - bookmark the page/leave a tab open)

Buy Now Decide Later

The opposite of the wait then buy, and one that personally resonates with my soul. Buy the item, then decide later (most stores give you 30 days to return/exchange). You can always return it later, but who knows if it will still be there if you wait to buy it!

Quality Over Quantity

This is what I’m striving for. It takes time, and any small step towards sustainability counts! I’m trying to say no to the fast-fashion/one season types of things. Just because something is on sale for $10 doesn’t mean you should get it (OMG that was so hard to type out + goes against my whole being). But really, quality over quantity - those are going to be the pieces that you’ll reach for again and again. How timeless is it? Will you want to wear it next season? Next year?

Uniqueness

How unique is it? Is it something that’s hard to find? Is it exactly what you’ve been looking for for the past month? If so, what are you waiting for?

Practicality

Does it fit well with the items currently in your closet? Can you already imagine outfits + occasions to wear it? And for sourcing, would you be able to wear/use the item if it doesn’t sell?

I honestly feel a lot more equipped to make educated buying decisions. Can we go shopping now?