"Stop me before I shop again!"
When the clothing budget is tight, when you have to squeeze every dollar and stretch it further, it’s time to go on The Shopping Diet. But don’t worry! This diet won’t deprive you of having a fashionable and up-to-date wardrobe—in fact, you will find exciting ways to look fantastic, make more of the clothes and accessories you already have, and come out ahead with the one thing that’s always in style: more money in your wallet!
Whether you’re an impulse shopper, whether you shop out of boredom or other emotions, or if "the tough go shopping" has always been your motto, you may feel that you simply have to shop—that there are never enough clothes, or the right clothes, to make you feel complete, confident, and in control. But in tough economic times, there is a better way—a whole new lifestyle of evaluating your true wardrobe needs, making smart choices, and changing your spending habits from the inside out. The results? More time (no more Saturdays spent wandering the mall aimlessly), more space (your closet makeover will turn that priceless piece of real estate into your favorite go-to boutique!), and more cash (or, if you prefer, less credit card debt). Now that’s being in control!
Premiere celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch’s unique and thought-provoking approach to looking great for less gives you fascinating insights and practical solutions to the very real problem of overspending that affects millions of people.
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The premier fashion stylist to the stars, Phillip Bloch works with Hollywood’s A-list, including such celebrity clients as John Travolta, Sandra Bullock, Faye Dunaway, Selma Hayek, and Jada Pinkett Smith. A regular commentator on TV and contributor to publications like Vanity Fair, Vogue, InStyle, Premiere, Entertainment Weekly, Elle, Detour, and ABC.com (as a pop culture guru), Phillip’s unique combination of expertise and humor has made him one of the most sought-after and outspoken stylists in Hollywood.
Admit You’re an Overshopper
It’s hard to resist buying compulsively when the world is one big Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory of clothes, shoes, and sparkling accessories. Now more than ever, it’s not okay to carelessly throw a random pair of sunglasses or another bottle of perfume into your cart just because they’re there and they sparkle and you love them . . . or you at least love the packaging.
We all have access to shopping twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. For anyone with a penchant for overshopping, temptation is constantly calling in the form of shiny window displays, the barrage of store catalogs in your mailbox, and online offers clogging your email inbox. Credit cards are the fuel for this raging fire. It has become abundantly clear in the last few years that credit card companies want nothing more than to give us a gazillion dollars in credit, wait until we miss a minimum payment or don’t read the fine print in the contracts, and then let interest rates soar. Living on credit can be an oh-too-alluring trap, especially with the credit card companies’ appealing incentives of travel miles and luxurious rewards. Time and time again, you have heard that all that glitters is not gold (or even platinum, despite what your credit card would infer). But if you keep overcharging on your AmEx, you might end up buried in the red. The result: If you don’t pay off your bill for that $10 tank top when the first invoice arrives, it can end up costing you $100 within the year, thanks to fluctuating and unpredictable interest rates.
Even worse than paying ten times more than what you thought you spent on a flimsy top, unfettered credit can lead to no credit at all. If you can’t keep up with your spending, your assets could quickly become your liabilities. Your credit card could be canceled, plummeting your fragile credit score. Down the road, when you really need a line of credit to purchase something imperative (a new apartment, a new car, etc.), you’ll find yourself in a real jam. Do you realize that some companies even look at your credit score when you apply for a job?
If you face credit problems, you are not alone. The average person’s debt in the United States has risen to a staggering number. Recently, banks have been starting to dig even deeper than your credit score in order to determine eligibility for loans or more credit. In fact, overall accumulated debt is starting to be assessed and considered an equally important deciding factor. But you can beat the statistics by facing your shopping problem. If you are feeling powerless over your shopping habits and overspending, trust me, you can move beyond it. I’m here to see to it that you don’t waste another dollar on things you don’t need. Once you realize that your goal in life is not to buy the most things but to buy the best, the rest will become easier.
The first step in conquering any problem is to admit that you have one. However positive or negative the current economy may be, it is crucial to learn from the way you use, and possibly abuse, your finances when it comes to shopping. Do you have a problem? And if so, how bad is it? Treat your experiences of past irresponsible shopping as you would a new pair of shoes—you already paid for them mentally and financially, so you might as well put them to use.
Food for Thought
The Shopping Diet will only work for you if you make it work. So throughout the book, I will ask you to reflect honestly on your own habits. This will lead to a self-awareness where you will then be able to use the solutions provided in each step. Here are a few questions about how you shop:
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