Dopamine Buys: Why Impulse Shopping Feels Good (and How to Stop)

 

It felt good pressing that Buy Now button, didn’t it? And now what?

 

A corridor full of shoes, a wardrobe full of clothes buried beneath more clothes you might wear once, and a chair whose sole purpose is to host clothes that simply didn’t make the morning cut. If this sounds like your house, let’s talk about dopamine buys.

 

Dopamine reinforces behaviours that make us feel good. It surges during the anticipation not just when we receive the reward. This is why the Buy Now button is so powerful. What makes us feel good is often the waiting time for the package to arrive, not only what’s inside it.

This is how many people, myself included, enter a cycle of buying items we don’t actually need.

 

Is there hope to stop this cycle? To some extent, yes.

No one is ever going to say no to a brand-new pair of shoes every time just to feel good but here are a few tips that have helped me manage the urge to press that button.

 

The Replace Method
 

Every time I’m about to buy a new item, clothes or anything else, I think of one equivalent item I can replace. I then either sell it on Vinted or eBay, donate it, or gift it to my sister or family.

The idea is simple: stop accumulating things.

 

The Outfit Challenge
 

I try to picture at least three outfits in my head using the new piece and clothes I already own. If I can’t create new outfits, there’s no point adding it to my wardrobe.

 

Know Your Season & Colours
 

One thing that has saved me a lot of money and frustration this year is learning which colours actually suit me. For example, I’m a cool winter. This means I should avoid warm, yellow-based colours and opt for deep, cool tones with plenty of black such as deep burgundy instead of pastel pink.

 

After having my season analysed both online and in a real-life session with a stylist, I realised how many clothes, shoes, and accessories I had bought simply because they looked great. Yet when I tried to create outfits at home, they never felt quite right and I rarely wore them.

Sadly, it was because they were some of the least flattering colours for me.

 

Now that I confidently choose what brings out the best in me, I can browse websites and say:

Sorry, ZARA this warm brown coat looks great, but it’s not for me.

Just like that, I save my money, my energy, and avoid contributing to more waste.

 

The Time-Travel Cleanup
 

This is the most fun, but also the most cut-throat, approach I do once a year. I reorganise all my clothes and accessories and go through them one by one. For each item, I ask one simple question:

Have I used this in the past year?

 

If the answer is no, it has to go.

After doing this for a few years, the process has become much faster. The first time I did it, I discovered clothes I had completely forgotten I owned. Clearly, I didn’t need them and I wasn’t using them.

 

The Emotional Hanger

 

I used to keep items that reminded me of a lovely holiday or a friend’s wedding, even though I never intended to wear them again. One day, I decided to let go of materials simply because they held memories.

 

I do keep a few small things a card, a fridge magnet here and there but I’ve learned not to become emotionally attached to objects. Letting go doesn’t change my memories or past experiences; it changes the space I have available in my home.

 

Old Hobbies Die Hard
 

I try to sell any sports equipment if I’ve given up on the sport. Over the years, I’ve tried kayaking, kickboxing, salsa, skiing, swimming, running, and aerobics.

 

I still enjoy some of these and I love a few days of skiing, so the ski jacket stays. But I won’t keep boxing gloves I bought ten years ago just in case I decide to box again.

 

Closing

 

Dopamine buys aren’t about weakness, they’re about being human. Awareness doesn’t mean perfection, but it does give us the power to pause, choose better, and create space, both in our homes and in our minds.