Wishlisting & Shopping Carts
The Getting Dressed Chronicles #2
Hi again, friend! Welcome back to The Getting Dressed Chronicles, a series of posts I’m writing about clothes and shopping and personal style. Read my last TGDC post here, and read on below for today’s thoughts all about keeping a shopping wishlist.
Why a Wishlist?
Last week, I wrote about the ever-growing pile of stuff that I’ve collected in the name of experimenting with personal style. One way I’m curbing this pesky little habit is by keeping a running wishlist of items I want and need, rather than shopping aimlessly or purchasing random stuff in the moment. It’s not exactly a novel idea, but it’s been working for me!
What follows in today’s post is a brief peek behind the scenes into my shopping wishlists in case you, too, want to try shopping more intentionally.
My goal, of course, is not to avoid shopping altogether. (The very thought! 😱) I just hope to make more well-thought-out and right-for-me purchases, limiting clutter and adoring every nice thing I spend on and take home.
Keep it Simple
My strategy is pretty basic, just a list kept in the Notes app in my iPhone and categorized into Clothes, Beauty, and Home sections. When I come across something—IRL or online—that sparks the urge to shop, I add it to the note, then try to limit any purchases I make to things on the list.
Wishlisting has been helpful when it comes to thrifting because if I feel the urge to hit Value Village, or I’m graced with an unexpected coupon in my inbox, I can aim to shop certain sections with intention and laser focus.
Recent thrift finds from my wishlist include a London Fog field jacket, Onitsuka Tigers, and a few minimalist pieces of decor for our home.
And, when it comes to the stuff I buy brand new, especially online, having a list to refer back to helps hold me accountable in the face of app notifications, sales emails, and affiliate links.
A Running Cart for Online Shopping*
In addition to my phone note, I’ve found it helpful, too, to keep a running cart for any online stores I frequent. So, for example, when there is a new makeup launch at Sephora or I find myself perusing the newest restock at Aritzia, I add anything I’m considering to my cart and just give it a minute—I try for a few days or more—before I check out (or not).
Again, it’s a helpful way of being prepared if there’s a sale. And, if I find myself in a store in person, I’ll refer to my online shopping carts to see what items I should try on or test out.
I recently avoided an impulse buy when a “French-girl makeup” tutorial I sought out suggested an Hourglass lip balm (this one, if you’re curious). I added it to my Sephora cart in the app. When I passed by the store that week, I popped in to see what I thought, and realized it was very similar to the Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey (af link) which I already own and love. I still can’t decide if leaving Sephora empty-handed was a tragedy or a total rush. 🤣
*HOWEVER, the annoying risk of my cart strategy is that the retailers see us when we’re sleeping and know when we’re awake like evil reverse Santa Clauses, and they will remind you about your cart and resort to all kinds of coupons and notifications to get you to complete the purchase in a weak moment. Fortify yourself, and don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Add, Delete, Add, Delete
Importantly, I’m also constantly editing my wishlist. It’s been eye-opening to see the things I’m—in the truest sense of the word—influenced to buy but don’t really want. In the light of a new day I’ll often cull my wishlist and rarely think about those items again.
Just as interestingly, keeping an eye on the stuff I really covet motivates me to bypass more mindless purchases and save (money and closet space!) for the things I truly want.
Out with the Old
As I continue to edit my closet, I’m listing a ton of my own pieces over on Poshmark.
If you’re in Canada you can shop my closet by clicking here. Feel free to make an offer or create a bundle and let me know you’re a reader at des lettres!
If you live in the US or somewhere else in the world and you see something you love, comment or reply and I’m sure we can work something out.
Ok, so what are your shopping strategies? Are you a wishlister, an impulse buyer, or do you possess some sort of innate shopping wisdom you can impart to the rest of us?
In the next Getting Dressed Chronicles, let me tell you about a few other adjustments I’m making to my clothes and outfit plans. If you want to be notified when new posts show up here, subscribe below!
And if you happen to have a friend who’d enjoy reading this post, send it their way!
Thanks for reading, friend.
Such a great idea! I have a ‘to buy’ list and try to focus on that. The only time I struggle is when I do go secondhand shopping and I see things I feel I need. I often then leave without buying, thinking I don’t really ‘need’ it and then regret it when I visit again and they’re gone, only to take to vinted shortly after 😂
Love it! 🩶 I do exactly the same thing, same habits! It works for me and when the cart shows a sold out item I just tell myself “it wasn’t meant to be, wasn’t for me!” 😂