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3 ways to find willpower when you shop
One afternoon a few months ago, I felt like I was having a mini meltdown at the fabric store.
This happened to me with alarming frequency. The store I shop at most often is gigantic. It’s stuffed with so many lovely silks, linens, knits, and wools that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices. And the longer I spent there, the more confused I would feel.
I was having one of those moments. I went there for just a couple simple knits I needed for specific projects. But once there, I saw so much that I wanted to buy.
The thing is, I didn’t really need to buy more fabric. I had a long queue of projects I want to make, and everything I need to make them. Plus, I have a lovely stash I really should shop from more often.
It felt like there were two voices in my head. One said, “oooh, pretty! Shiny! Buy!”
The other calmly explained that I already had plenty of fabric I should be excited about sewing.
The first voice responded with all kinds of excuses: This fabric is special. It probably won’t be here next time. I really need some new blouses. This will stop me from buying RTW instead. On and on and on.
The calmer voice prevailed, but not until after a lot of discussion in my head.
Apparently, this sort of internal bickering is not as crazy or uncommon as I might have thought.
The curse of higher thinking
A 2007 study compared the self-control of 40 humans against 19 chimpanzees. Who do you think won?
In the study, each subject was offered a choice. They could have two of their preffered treats immediately, or they could wait two minutes and have six.
The chimps decided to wait for the larger reward 72% of the time.
The humans: 19%.
So what happened here? Do chimps really have better self-control than humans?
In her book The Willpower Instinct, researcher Kelly McGonigal says, “Of course not. When we’re on our best behavior, humans’ ability to control our impulses puts other species to shame. But all too often, we use our fancy brains not to make the most strategic decisions, but to give ourselves permission to act more irrationally.”
In other words, the chimps don’t have quite the same ability to talk themselves into making bad decisions. They’re not capable of thinking, “oh, I’ll take the treat now, but next time I’ll wait,” or “I deserve this treat now, I worked hard today,” or “I might not want the treat in two minutes, so I’ll take it now.”
In other words, they don’t rationalize.
Balancing multiple personalities
McGonigal posits that in terms of our self-control, each of us has many selves living at once inside of us. At the very least, there is a self who wants instant gratification, and a self who wants long term rewards.
These two selves often struggle for control. It happens to me when shopping, or when a bowl of tortilla chips are set in front of me (yum).
One self remembers the long term goal (don’t spend too much money, don’t ruin your appetite for dinner) and the other thinks up all kinds of rationalizations (you deserve this, you’ll make up for it later).
I don’t think the challenge is to obliterate the pleasure-seeking voice. What fun would that be? But keeping the two in balance is a constant struggle, for all of us.
Here are a few tricks I’ve come up with for dealing with these conflicting desires. They’re helpful in a variety of situations, not just at the fabric store.
Technique 1: Acknowledge your multiple selves
The first and most important step is recognizing that you have conflicting wants. That’s half the battle right there.
When you have one of these moments, stop and consider for a minute that you really want two things at once.
Next, try to identify with the calmer, more rational voice. It isn’t necessary to think of the other voice as “bad.” But merely thinking of the calmer self as the “real you” and the other voice as a different point of view is helpful.
I like to think of the wanting voice as a more hyperactive friend. Imagine you are shopping for fabric with a friend. You’re going to make her a dress. She flits from rack to rack pulling out anything and everything that looks pretty. Your job is to explain to her what she really came for, that you can only sew so much at one time, and that you can’t spend all that money right now.
Technique 2: Set limits
Setting some limitations in advance is a great way to curb your more acquisitive side.
Having rules for yourself about anything, be it spending money, spending time online, or eating ice cream when you’re lactose intolerant (that’s me) is a powerful way to manage your short-term thinking.
I try to always go to the store with a list that I stick to. Of course, I do sometimes buy an outstanding bit of yardage I didn’t plan on, but having the list makes me much more focused.
Many of us go on occasional fabric fasts, but I find that even less stringent constraints can really help. What about limiting yourself to only buying from indie shops? Or only buying fabric for one project at a time?
Technique 3: Indulge mindfully
I find it’s important not to villainize yourself over these things.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting a short term pleasure. It’s not a bad thing, just something to be aware of when it does conflict with your long term goals.
I definitely still allow myself to give in to impulses, frequently. But I try to do it in a mindful way, considering whether it’s something I really want, how it meshes with my long term plans, and how much pleasure it will really give me. I want to gorgeous silk yardage now, but will I put it in a box and forget about it soon?
And when I do take my more impulsive pleasures, I enjoy it as much as I can.
In short
I’ve found that just the knowledge that you have conflicting needs is empowering. You don’t have to be a slave to any one of your inner voices. Just knowing they’re there helps to balance them out.
Do you feel conflicted like I do when you’re shopping? How do you deal with the competing demands in your head?
Comments
Beth
August 25, 2014 #
Thank you for this, I need it recently! Thanks to Wardrobe Architect, I’ve curbed my tendency to buy all different colors and prints. Now I stick primarily to my color scheme, which has reduced the amount of impulse buying I do. I find that I’m “weakest” when a new season is approaching, like fall now, because I’m all about planning and selecting fabrics. I think that image of reigning in a hyperactive friend will really stick with me, thank you!
Amy W
August 25, 2014 #
Making a list is a must! Having a set budget helps me, especially if I’m paying with cash. I’ll stand in the aisle with a calculator adding up costs, coupon discounts, and sales to insure I’m not going over my budget. Before all the holiday sales I do recon to see what I want and that helps me focus during the big sales so all I do is go directly to the fabric I want and get in line and get out!!
Caitlyn M.
August 25, 2014 #
Funnily enough, I more often find myself in exactly the reverse situation of yours, Sarai. Like many young couples, my husband and I spent the early years of our marriage on a pretty lean budget, and my mom had trained me well in how to resist impulse buys and splurge outings. I got so accustomed to saying “no” that a few years later, when I finally had a real need or the money to buy something I’d wanted a long time, I reflexively tried to talk myself out of it. “You’ve gone this long without it–why do you need it now?” “What if next week’s oil change turns into a huge bundle of car repairs, and you regret spending this money?” Although it’s good to evaluate your purchases, it’s important not to talk yourself out of something you actually need or have saved up for to enjoy. I can’t help but feel it’s become popular to demonize any sort of acquisition, but the truth is we need food to eat, clothes to keep warm, tools to work, and leisure time to reflect and rejuvenate, and at some point you have to buy (or trade for, or make) those things, and beating yourself up over things you do need seems just as hurtful as going on a spree for things you don’t. As you said, it’s important not to see your many selves as necessarily either good or bad, but simply as having different, conflicting goals.
Sarai
August 25, 2014 #
What’s funny is that when I wrote this post, I was writing generally but thinking specifically about fabric. That happens to be an achilles heel for me in terms of spending.
But when it comes to other purchases, I deliberate FOREVER. I am constantly talking myself out of things and have a really hard time parting with money. Like you, I’m always thinking, what if I need the money later? Could I get something secondhand? Could I make it instead?
Overall, I think it’s a good thing, but like you, I’ve had to learn how to splurge once in a while on many things. Fabric doesn’t happen to be one of them, unfortunately. ;)
cyngehin@gmail.com
August 25, 2014 #
I can agonize about spending money on even the basics(bras, socks). And then I find myself purchasing fabric or RTW that is totally useless in the long run. Insanity.
Diane A
August 25, 2014 #
Thanks for this post. I recently went to NYC and went crazy buying fabric in the garment district, despite planning for shopping. I realize that I purchased way too much coating and special occasion fabric and not enough for the basics. I am now reading through your past blog posts in hopes of shopping and sewing more mindfully to build a really great wardrobe. Thanks so much for all your fabulous posts and information. Also, just starting the modified Laurel – great hack :)
skye
August 25, 2014 #
This post came at a perfect time. I usually have to talk myself out of buying things on a weekly basis and it’s something I’ve been practicing for years. And I mean that in the most literal sense, I have to slow everything down around me and really think about what I’m doing and reassess who I am and what objects I really want around me. Abstinence really is a skill. This weekend I found an incredible vintage tea-set that seemed like a magic fit for my life, I drink a lot of tea and I need a new teapot and it was perfect for me (had my favorite flower on it, which is hard to find). It was a slight splurge (under $60) and I found that I was actually trying to talk myself INTO buying it. I kept circling back to who I am vs. who I think I want to be. I’m more of a mismatched tea-set kinda girl, nothing fancy, I frequently have to kill the fancy voice because I know that I’m not that girl and as much as I would like to be her – polished tea-set lady – I just am not. It sounds insane, it’s a household good for crying out loud, but it really is about something more fundamental to me.
Chrys
August 26, 2014 #
I soooo understand. It is good to know that I am not alone! I do the same thing all the time with sets of dishes. If I could, I would have a different set, not just a place serving, for everyday! Living alone though I have about 4 plates of different sizes but in patterns I LOVE-they are different patterns unified, as my wardrobe, by color. They can all go on a table at one time and look fine, but definitely not “matchy matchy.”
Stevie
August 25, 2014 #
I loved this post Sarai! I have a total inability to control when I’ve convinced myself I need something. I can be fairly controlled if I don’t put myself into a buying situation and avoid shopping, but I start a new job in September and in my opinion I went totally overboard buying clothes and fabrics because I felt I had an excuse to, now i’m dreading the credit card bill!
I’ll definitely try out some of your techniques. I would also add one too. Give yourself a weekly budget for “you spends” $50 a week that you can choose to save or spend if you see something specific. That rigidity of having only that amount seems to help!
Sarai
August 25, 2014 #
That’s a good idea. You could even set up a separate bank account and have the money automatically transferred each month or week.
Teri
August 25, 2014 #
Where is the fabric store in the picture? I want to go look……
Sarai
August 25, 2014 #
These were taken at Mill End in Portland, OR.
Kristin H
August 25, 2014 #
Thank you for letting us know what shop it is! I’m going to be visiting Portland next month and this store is definitely on my list now (with a budget and a list of course).
sj kurtz
August 25, 2014 #
Mill End, I knew you were talking about that place from the get go. I love Portland, family in town, but that’s the destination for me.
That is where I had my stash meltdown. I was looking for something fairly unspecific, three or four yards, dress fabric, not picky about the color. And I could not find anything. I found a lot of stuff I already had something like, or that I loved but had no use for. And then I couldn’t even find notions I was looking for.
But it’s Mill End! MILL frigging END. They have EVERYTHING. So I bought yardage I did not need, cannot find a use for, and can’t seem to give away. And it annoys me that I did this.
heather
August 30, 2014 #
Have you ever done a list of your local fabric stores that you like to shop? I’d love to see one! I live in Vancouver and we don’t have much on this side of the river.
Marge
August 25, 2014 #
Where’s that fabric store! I want to go!
Leslie
August 25, 2014 #
This was an eye-opener for me, regarding shopping for food, in particular. I often thought of the devil and angel on each shoulder but I think acknowledging two selves is more helpful! Thank you!
gabriel ratchet
August 25, 2014 #
i have tried to nurture a third voice that says “there is always abundance out there… you can revel in it and appreciate it, even if you don’t own it…. and you can always acquire what you need later”. it mostly works just fine for everyday things, house things, art, even the landscape and views. where i have trouble is with the “one of a kind” – the depression glass champagne coupes that matched a gift from my mother from thirty years ago. (i bought them.) unfortunately, all too often fabric falls into that “one of a kind” category. if i don’t get it when i see it, it probably won’t be available when i’ve figured out what to do with its potential – the $40 per yard italian embroidered linen that came sampled in a mailer some decades ago. (i didn’t buy it, and i’ve kicked myself many times over those ensuing years because i’ve never seen anything like it again.)
Chris
August 26, 2014 #
I am sooo happy I am not alone. Your comments resonate with me.
MTangel
August 25, 2014 #
Wow, your fabric store has whole rows of actual silk??!!? So lucky! I wouldn’t be able to control myself either. I live in a sewing desert, with only a box store full of ugly polyester and acetate.
Tisha
August 25, 2014 #
We must be neighbors! I don’t have issues buying my fabric locally, but I struggle with online purchases!
Alison
August 25, 2014 #
I should really bring a list with me when I go to the fabric store! It works when I go grocery shopping. The other day I went in to get some elastic, but picked up some other odds an ends (maybe a pattern and some fabric), and ended up ‘losing’ (the way small items get pushed to the side) the elastic at the checkout counter!
Jan
August 25, 2014 #
I also find that living in rural areas limits the temptation to buy nice fabric considerably. My only fabric shopping option is Jo-Ann’s, and I’m just not tempted at all by the shiny polyester and novelty cotton when I go in to buy thread or notions!
My nice fabric exposure is limited to an annual trip to NYC and occasionally finding garments worth refashioning at the thrift store, so it’s mostly lack of access that keeps things under control.
Nancy K
August 25, 2014 #
LOL. I find that it’s hard to make up my mind about fabric when I am in NYC because there is so much to choose from. Without a list of what I plan to make I have ended up with fabric that is either too dressy for my lifestyle, or bought because it said ‘buy me’ but really doesn’t work for me or the wardrobe I want to make.
martha
August 25, 2014 #
You must be going to Mill End in Portland… I love going there. I feel the same desires and then get overwhelmed by choices. My plans instantly deviate when I see something new that I love.
Spoiled by choices!
Cynthia
August 25, 2014 #
Oh yeah, that’s me and Mill End too. I try to stay away unless I’m looking for something specific but I am so glad we have the two stores here in Pdx. I far prefer seeing and touching fabric in person and feel fortunate I can. And for what Kristin says, yes, if it’s in the Annex, it’s not going to be there later. The bolt fabric is usually there longer. I go on a scouting trip and write down what I’m interested in and go away and think about it. As long as I come back within a week, it’s still there.
Aimee
August 25, 2014 #
I think what has helped me recently was to set up an Evernote note-file for each project I had. So each note had a pattern-image and the fabric I’d bought for it… and then above that all these other piles of fabric. I realized I had like at least a year worth probably of projects that I’d already bought beautiful fabrics for. Instead of buying some new fabric and a new pattern… I should be shopping from stash. It’s all stuff I’ve already “curated” and I like. I’m still buying a little, but I’m really trying to think harder about it before adding something new when I already have so many great things I haven’t used yet.
Tracy
August 25, 2014 #
The one thing that really works for me is going into “Scotland mode” (my husband’s name for the super-saving mode I go into right before vacation). It goes something like this: Any dollar I don’t spend on [impulse thing] now is a dollar I can spend on [thing I really want] later. So: Any dollar I don’t spend on buying lunch at work is a dollar I can spend in Edinburgh later. Any dollar I don’t spend on remnant fabric at JoAnn’s now is a dollar I can spend at Alabama Chanin later. You get the idea. :)
lisa g
August 25, 2014 #
i have a pretty small fabric budget, so that keeps me from over-buying. also, seeing the “overwhelmed by my fabric stash” blog posts have made me perfectly okay with not being able to buy every fabric that catches my eye. it’s a good thing too, because i feel my tastes have changed and i’d hate to be stuck with fabrics that aren’t inspiring anymore. i also try to plan a few projects at a time and and buy all the supplies at once. it seems that a trip to the store for a zip or buttons ends up costing me $30…
something else to keep in mind is to shop when you know your willpower is at it’s best. you’re more likely to make better decisions when you’re not tired, hungry, or have already made lots of decisions that day. learned this from a book called “Willpower” by roy baumeister and john tierney (lots of great info in that book, btw). it makes complete sense, but sometimes the obvious just needs pointed out!
kristin
August 25, 2014 #
ha. when i started reading this post i was like “i wonder if she’s talking about mill end…” and then yep, you were! i’ve gotten burned there a few times where i thought “i’ll just come back and get this fabric when i actually need it” and then it was totally gone when i went back. lesson learned: always buy a few yards of $5 annex chambray if it’s there! mill end is such a temptress that way.
Patricia
August 25, 2014 #
My problem is that I don’t have a fabric store nearby, so if and when I get to one, I have a hard time restraining myself. My ambition to sew level is always high on shopping trips, but once the purchases get stashed away, it’ s harder to bring back the inspired thoughts I had on first encountering the fabric. It does help if I get it home and do some prep right away, like prewashing and pressing, cutting out the pattern pieces, and displaying it all prominently on my cutting table. I am going to try shopping with a specific list. That does help me in the grocery store, so many in the fabric store??? Worth a try!
Stephanie
August 25, 2014 #
Love this post. If I’d applied a strategy like this more often I’d have less of a garment fabric pile-up and possibly more completed projects. I have way too many impulse yardage buys that haven’t yet been matched to a pattern (coral linen, I’m looking at you). Lots of good insights — in the comments, too — that apply to so much more than fabric shopping. I’m going to post a link to my clutterfreeforever.com Facebook group. And then I’m going to go make a skirt decision for that linen.
Tammy
August 25, 2014 #
I came over to your blog to read your Frieda Kahlo post which I loved and decided to read what you are up to now.. I had to laugh because I do this same thing. Only I’m a thrift store junkie and I love to repurpose clothes. I have so many articles of clothing to use I could probably not purchase another piece of clothing for the rest of my life and still never use all of them but .. when i go somewhere and something is 50 cents it’s hard to resist. So lately, when I go shopping, which is more to get out of my head than anything else, I remind myself that I can go shopping at my own house .. haha. Also, my mother recently passed away so I now have acquired a lot of my mother’s beautiful clothing. So now I say lets go shopping in mom’s closet. Most times that works. Love your blog here.. hope your day is sew fabulous!!! :)
Danielle
August 25, 2014 #
I have two thoughts here:
1) I hope researcher Kelly McGonigal is also a Professor McGonigal (harry-potter-nerd-swoon).
2) As a human in the experiment, if it’s a food treat I WOULD take the 2 treats straight up, only because I know I don’t need 6 treats and can rationalise that taking the early option is actually self control. If it were a book or fabric treat, I would be patient. So I’m seeing some flaws in the study.
That aside, I really like this post. I have been trying to be more mindful since I started practicing yoga and this fits in with that :)
Sarai
August 25, 2014 #
Well, the treats were things like M&Ms, so I don’t think people were worried about 6 being too many. :) If I remember correctly, I think they also controlled for this in the experiment by first asking the humans subjects how many they’d like to eat (something like that).
Sue
August 25, 2014 #
This is my problem, you could be talking about me. I have been buying fabric ever since I left school and making as well but for a few years it was just buying .I have a great stash of beautiful fabric but I still find it hard to resist when I see something that is wonderful. Restraint is a good thing , and I am trying to use my stash as space could be a problem if I am not careful. I am also attempting to catalogue my stash and projects so I have an idea of what is there.
Lady ID
August 25, 2014 #
I’ve run out of space to store fabric. That has seriously helped me control myself. Plus I hate the idea of hoarding so every time I think of my full to bursting closet coupled with not enough sewing time, I can walk away. Right now I am purchasing only if needed to complete an ongoing project.
Janet
August 25, 2014 #
I find some store environments make me want to buy fabric. It is kinda messed up, but if I get help in the store I tend to buy. If I am left alone I will make better choices and more often walk away empty handed.
Amber
August 25, 2014 #
You’ve described me in my favorite yarn store. I have been learning to manage the “pretty-must-have-it-now” by visualizing all the lovely yarn I have stashed and not allowing the stash to exceed the storage space allotted. The only exceptions are for immediate projects or gifts.
I am really trying to do the same thing with fabric. I donated a huge amount of fabric bought because I had to have it but didn’t use it, sometimes for two decades. So much money lost because my taste has changed.
cyngehin@gmail.com
August 25, 2014 #
I am always overwhelmed at shopping, anywhere, for anything. I do best if I ONLY head out to purchase what is absolutely a must. I’m so easily distracted by displays. On-line shopping has been helpful for me. I can ‘see’ all the things I need, but know I have a dollar limit. It’s so easy to be swayed by color, texture, pattern. It really helps if I shop stores that have a more limited quantity of choices. That’s why fabric stores can swamp me. Too many choices.
Adeline
August 25, 2014 #
It’s really interesting how the brain functions. How everything can be rationalised and there seem to be conflicting thoughts all the time! When it comes to fabric or haberdashery I lose all willpower and conveniently forget about the box of fabric I have stashed at home. My brain rationalises to say that I can always do with one more project. No wonder I never get round to finishing all my projects. That too requires willpower.
Vanessa
August 25, 2014 #
Mill End is the most tempting for fabric, Fabric Depot for trim. I put a moratorium on buying anything but fabric for Timbers tifo because I need to redo storage in the sewing room and switch furniture around. I have a huge pile of Keen shoeboxes with bias and lace. I’m making myself use the oldest fabric first now. If I still had room, I’d go to Cool Cottons on Hawthorne- they always have such awesome prints! Penguin prints are the worst for me-grabby hands!
Tanya
August 26, 2014 #
Here is something else for you to consider: The psychological impact imposed by retailers. In effect, their aim is to make as many sales as possible. Have any of you realised that the retailers deliberately arrange the items in the shop (whether it is food, fabrics etc) in terms of layout and colour coding purely geared towards the consumer to make extra (unintended) purchases? When I used to work in retail many years ago, I was to told to change the layout of certain things, if not enough sales were being made.
I’ve found that when armed with this information, l am less likely to impulse shop. In addition a previous commenter mentioned not going shopping when hungry, stressed, made loads of decisions etc, l agree wholeheartedly and would add to that, if you are feel ing low or having a ‘bad day’ that increases the chances of impulse buying. Many retailers are aware of this and use this to their advantage.
Alyson Ray
August 26, 2014 #
Love this article! My will power at a fabric store is pretty weak, so sometimes I get very overwhelmed while fabric shopping. I think going with a plan and a list is great advice. I have recently retired and have much more time to devote to sewing. Do you have suggestions of sewing with a plan?
Kate
August 26, 2014 #
I always find myself conflicted at the fabric store. I will go in with a list of fabric types in solid colours but I always fall in love with the unique patterns. I’ve decided to accept to an extent that I love patterns and focus on a colour range that is harmonious for coordinating outfits. I do come away with regret sometimes, not at what I bought so much but that I didn’t prioritise what I new I needed.
jules
August 26, 2014 #
You’re lucky to have such a nice store in your vicinity. I like how a lot of your writing is about being mindful in every sense. It’s something I have had to practice hard at for years as an artist. There is always something to want in the short term that disrupts the long term goal. Just have to continually reset, I guess.
I’m about to go to the garment district on Saturday as part of a family vacation. It’s a rare event for me to head into NY and I have already warned husband and kids that I need at least 4 hours for this shopping experience. They understand so they’ll do something else while I’m there. After reading this post I think I will try to scope out just what I need for two or three specific patterns rather than buy anything that catches my eye.
Jenny
August 26, 2014 #
I like to harness my inner laziness – I buy all the things that were on my shopping list, then I mentally give myself permission to buy other things but ONLY after I have been away from the shop and had a coffee or run another chore. I know that if I really want something then I’ll make time and energy to go back for it. If it was just a passing fabric-lust-madness then common sense/laziness will win out.
Alison
August 26, 2014 #
I’m just relieved to read that others have a long queue of projects as well. Sometimes it’s overwhelming.
Chris
August 26, 2014 #
Except for the lactose intolerance, you could be describing me! How my daughter grew up to be neat and organized I will never know. She did not “learn” it from me. I try to model myself after her and a friend in England who lives is a very small house (by US standards). They both do a lot of things and have a lot of fun but none of it is in piles around them!
For awhile I was very good about not buying more fabric than I had immediate plans to use, but I have somehow created a stash again. Now I am back to working that stash down-I look at it and it makes me feel guilty for not using it. I organized all my stash fabrics and notions, put them out of sight and am now working on “shopping” in that closet when the urge hits. Only moderate success but there has been some progress.
Elisabeth
August 26, 2014 #
Oh man…Mill End IS a dangerous place! I usually go to the Beaverton one bc it’s so much closer to me but the Milwaukie one is SO BIG. And I have found that I am in general really overwhelmed by long shopping trips these days. Something about the airlessness and the light. I think having a list is really good and I need to make sure I have eaten beforehand bc I get super spacey when I’m hungry and don’t make good choices! I am also not allowed to shop online for fabric late at night; this last round I bought what I thought was plain dark purple ponte that turned out to be super shiny (like swimsuit!) and some really florescent orange knit that even I with my love of orange probably can’t wear! It is definitely a balancing act trying to find good stuff but having a real purpose for it (and making sure it’s the right thing!)
Nicole
August 26, 2014 #
This definitely resonates with me. I feel like I’m always trying to bring someone with me to a fabric store or just not go in the first place so I don’t end up spending too much. It’s especially bad because, like you, I have a good (big) stash at home and projects lined up to make with it. I feel like I need to apply this not only to shopping but also to my want-to-do list. I’m always buying patterns immediately cuz I want to make them, but patterns will (almost always) be there later when I’m actually ready for that project, not now, 6-12 months before I even have time for it. :-)
spikeabell
August 26, 2014 #
I find if I have too much choice I get frustrated… and deal with it by getting hot and bothered and not buying anything! Which oddly is just as annoying as buying too much, as I walk away having wasted time and STILL don’t have what I need.
Leslie Bonner
August 26, 2014 #
I thought I recognized The Mill End store. When I visit my kids in Oregon I leave a little room in my luggage so I can stop there on my way to the airport. I bought several lovely pieces of fabric my most recent visit but when I returned home I realized what I bought was lovely for fall but hardly appropriate for our triple digit weather. Oh, but we’re going on a cruise in September and in checking average temperatures it’s going to be on the warm side there also. So, yes taking a list would be a great idea and possibly will cut down on my impulse buying.
knitlass
August 27, 2014 #
One of my tried and trusted tricks is to just tell myself I don’t need to buy it today, but can go back tomorrow or get it next time.
Izy
August 28, 2014 #
I feel good when I shop from the stash. Like I’m fulfilling the fabrics destiny. Also if it was a gift. I want to honor the gesture by making it as best as I can, as soon as I can. That means not until my skills are good to use on special or expensive fabric!
Sara
August 30, 2014 #
With 75 fabrics in my stash, I definitely have a fabric shopping problem. Love your tips, and definitely will put them into practice—I get really overwhelmed by my stash every time I start a new project.
Jayne Coney
August 31, 2014 #
I made a pledge a few days ago to only add to my summer wardrobe(Aussie here) by making clothes from my significant fabric & pattern stash.
This afternoon I made my selection. Chose fabric & different vintage patterns for 6 new blouses, 2 pairs of cigarette pants, 2 dresses & 2 skirts.
Although I’m still having issues when I go to buy fabric/tulle/lace for a job, I seem to keep coming home with something to make a new sample with. Anyone need a veil, headpiece or wedding dress?
Carlee McTavish
September 11, 2014 #
Great post! For me, mindfulness is all about thinking about the environmental implications of what I’m doing, and how that decision to buy (or not to buy) will impact the lives of other people as well as animals.
Chantelle
September 15, 2014 #
I know I’m late to this party, but I also have a huge problem buying fabric. It wasn’t so bad when I go to the actual fabric store but when it comes to online fabric shopping, I’m lost. I would impulsively buy anything and everything I saw that I thought might possibly be gorgeous. I now have way more fabric than I need or could ever use (not to mention the fact that not all of the fabric was as gorgeous as I thought).
What has helped is Pinterest. Instead of just buying the fabric, I can pin it and then return to the pin later. If I really do still love the fabric later, I can buy it then.
Of course now I have a ton of fabric that I’m slooowly sorting. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with all that extra fabric – I’ve been thinking of donating it the annual the Textile Museum sale because I don’t want to deal with selling individual fabrics.