‘Overconsumption isolates us’: how to start shopping less

Spending can be exciting – but how do you function outside of it? Experts share their tips for paring down buying

For years, I have been caught in a tiresome, expensive cycle: when I’m bored (or sad, or insecure) I scroll through my phone, looking for stuff to buy. In those moments, it feels like the right purchase will relieve me of ennui or unpleasantness. These shoes will make my life more glamorous! This face wash will make me feel forever beautiful!

Sometimes this rush lasts up to two days after I receive my item. But the excitement fades – sometimes as soon as I click “confirm purchase” – and I inevitably think: “Why did I do that?”

So how does one start shopping less? We asked experts and people who have pared down their own spending.

Struggling with some degree of impulse shopping is common in this day and age, says Alexa Brown, a musician with the Omaha Symphony who also runs the YouTube channel Conscious Consumerism.