If you’re interested in fashion and style, you probably also have at least one shopping weakness that has a negative impact on your style and bank account. Maybe you buy too many uncomfortable shoes just because they’re pretty and make your legs look gorgeous. Maybe you sometimes buy less-than-fab items at thrift stores because they only cost a few dollars. Maybe you can’t resist shopping the sales, or buying up bargains no matter what. Maybe you shop when you are bored or are looking for a temporary escape from hectic life, which leads to unnecessary purchases. 

If you do have a shopping weakness, you are not alone. Most of us are afflicted to some extent. I may not be tempted by sale merchandise and I’m strict about what actually ends up earning a place in my wardrobe. I also do a pretty good job at shopping my budget, and I never intentionally purchase uncomfortable shoes. But I do have one bad habit that requires a good bit of discipline every year. I love shopping for lightweight Spring clothes at the start of the retail season when I have absolutely no use for them until half way through the year. 

The next four months are the most challenging on my shopping calendar. In Seattle, Spring feels like Winter, and the weather doesn’t usually warm up all that much till June. But come February, stores are filled with enticing Spring merchandise that looks wildly refreshing to my eye. I can feel the adrenalin pumping because I need a break from shopping for cold weather items. Crisp cotton fabrications. Fresh floral patterns. Sorbet colours. Fun loafers and flats. Linen. Romantic skirts and silky pants. Beautiful lightweight blouses. Fun long shorts. All of which are too flimsy and lightweight for my lifestyle until Summer time, when we actually get our share of warmer temperatures.

So from January to April, I have to find the discipline to resist buying glorious lightweight Spring merchandise that tickles my fancy. I can only purchase Spring items that I can wear during our cold weather so that they aren’t orphaned till June. And in general, I have to be careful not to over purchase on lightweight clothing and footwear that just doesn’t get enough wear to warrant the expense. This is our tenth year in a Seattle climate and I’m much better about disciplining my shopping weakness than I used to be. But I could still use the occasional rap over the knuckles. 

Acknowledging a shopping weakness is the first step to addressing it, so it’s confession time. What’s your shopping weakness? How do you keep it under control?