Confessions of an Online Shopaholic

We all have our vices. One of mine just so happens to be shopping—preferably from the comfort of my own couch. From time to time, I’ll open up my laptop, back and forth between my favorite clothing store sites. Amidst my aimless browsing, two hours suddenly fly by, and I’ve amassed $400 worth of merchandise in my online shopping cart.

“But, Sadie, how can you afford all that?”

Yeah, I can’t.

So I mosey on over to my shopping cart and take one last good look at all my goodies. I say my goodbyes and proceed to exit out of the website completely—my favorite hobby truly.

Sometime, though, I will go through with some of my purchases on the grounds that “I deserve this.” Truly, we really do all deserve to treat ourselves sometimes. My advice, when it comes to online shopping in this economy and as college students balling on budgets, is to treat yourself carefully. You really can find more amazing deals on the internet than you can in stores, so I’m a huge advocate for online shopping if you do choose to treat yo’self this way—just be wary.

For me, I only ever online shop when a huge deal is going on. I immediately go to the clearance section to see what cool finds I can stumble upon there. Some people may not like buying things that aren’t a part of the latest collection or in season at the time. If you’re one of those people, that’s totally ok! For me, though, I aim to maximize my buying potential and get the most bang for my buck no matter what. What it really comes down to is if you would rather spend money on one or two really cool, new items or the same amount of money on a few cheaper things that have been on the market longer. Some items online are online exclusively, and those might be the things worth buying. It’s simply a matter of preference.

Along with heading to the clearance section first, I’ve found it useful to stock up on items from the previous season at cheaper rates to use for next season. For example, I always go on American Eagle’s website at the end of the summer and buy bathing suits for the next summer because they’re on sale. I’ve found it better to buy in between seasons to get the most bang for your buck.

Lastly, take advantage of deals. Even if you don’t shop online or at certain stores very often, I would recommend signing up to receive emails from sites that you enjoy. Keeping updated with stores’ most current promotions and flash sales just might lead you to take advantage of some pretty killer deals you wouldn’t have known existed otherwise.

If you’re anything like me, you may even have a credit card for your favorite clothing store. Quite frankly, whoever let me get an American Eagle credit card needs punished. However, taking advantages of rewards and using points you’ve racked up for shopping proves to be quite satisfying and thoughtful to your bank account in the long run. A little trick for you fellow American Eagle lovers out there: you can buy things on your credit card, earn huge rewards, return your clothes you paid for on your credit card, get your money back, and still be able to use your rewards for future purchases. See, that’s the stuff you really do love to see.

Online shopping doesn’t have to be as dangerous as it potentially could be for all you fellow shopaholics out there. Just be smart and take the time out to hunt down the cool pieces you’re searching for at lower prices you’ll love. Oh, and you may not want to tell your parents about your shopping habits, either. Shop ‘til you drop, friends!