A minute has passed. 🙂 Thank you for welcoming me back to your inbox for ideas and news on planning, avoiding overshopping, and living well in this complex world.
This fall I have many plans for your classes and articles. Instead, I ended up in doctors’ offices being diagnosed with fatigue and treated for what turned out to be anemia.
Anemia (or anemia if you’re British) is a condition where a lack of iron prevents oxygen from circulating in your blood as it should. It causes depression at first, but then other things if left untreated, including mental confusion and heart problems. It can also contribute significantly to dementia. Yes, that one caught my attention too.
Fortunately, we are, but I’m sharing because it’s estimated that 1 in 4 people worldwide has anemia, and about 1 in 10 in the US has anemia, especially women. Many dismiss it as just fatigue. A doctor can detect symptoms of different types of anemia with a simple blood test.
Take it from me, that an annual doctor’s visit and blood panel is not something you should put off, especially if you don’t feel like your normal self. Thank you for your kindness as I find my way back to my normal routine.
Daylight Saving Time this Sunday
A quick reminder, it’s time to “go back” as the clocks change this Sunday (11/2/2025) here in the US. Australia has already changed clocks on October 5, and Europe on October 26.
As the clocks change, I’ve been thinking about the upcoming shopping season. I stubbornly ignored them 100 days until Christmas symptoms a few weeks ago. But now Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all kinds of temptations are around the corner.
What is Over-Shopping?
Overbuying is definitely a thing, but it also might not be what you think. Compulsive buying, Compulsive buying disorder (CBD), and shopping addiction are all recognized and grouped together under the umbrella of Compulsive Behavior of the DSM-5, a mental health manual. Skipping is sometimes related, but not always, as one can hoard things they didn’t buy, and one can buy large amounts and not have a problem getting them out.
Binge shopping isn’t a diagnosis, and it doesn’t necessarily need treatment, but it’s dysfunctional when it works against you, your financial goals and your planning goals, especially during the Christmas shopping season.
My colleague Rachel Seavey of the Hoardganize Podcast says so shopping is like lonelinessand I think that is generally true. People buy for many reasons, including boredom, to be seen in a certain way, or to feel close to those they buy from.
Before you get hit with the ferocious holiday cheer in the next few weeks, take a minute to plan if you’ll be able to control your cravings and your wallet, or if you plan to get swept up in the mindless joy that is holiday overbuying.
10 Tips to Stop Over-Holiday Shopping
These are real-life strategies I use myself to avoid overbuying. Hey, get professional editors too!
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Not sexy but it works: make a list. Keep track of your phone. You can use your phone’s notes app to “pin” to the top of your screen so you don’t end up with too many lists. Write down what you end up buying for your giftees so you don’t accidentally buy a second gift and then have to figure out what to do with the extra.
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Keep your gift list simple so it can be useful when you are in a store or shopping online. Include the person you are shopping for, the ideal gifts for them, and the price you are willing to spend on the gift. I already made my list for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday season back in September and October.
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It’s okay to buy thembut still plan your shopping using a holiday shopping list. If you can save a lot on groceries that you will use in the next three months, just take them. For me, teeth whitening products, my special Dazzle Dry nail polish, and shoe insoles, and some business software.
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Use the online shopping cart as a pause button. Add your items to the store’s shopping cart, but always wait 24 hours before clicking that buy button. This gives you the opportunity to get an even better deal or realize that your mom doesn’t really need three of the things you were going to buy. On Amazon, you can always move items from your cart to “Save for Later,” so you don’t forget what you’ve been looking at.
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More is not always better. Have a little conversation with yourself about buying just one item. It’s easy to imagine, “This (or whatever) is great. And a really good value. Maybe I should just buy an extra (or three) if I want one, or my host wants another, or we have a gift exchange at work.” Extra purchases wreak havoc on your wallet, your wallet, and the planet when you end up paying it all back. (Online returns often go straight to landfills, not back on store shelves!)
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If you keep a hidden gift at home for hostess gifts, last-minute random guests, and “just in case,” this is the year to use your hidden gift before buying more. Think of it as “shopping your closet.” If something in your old gift stash isn’t right for any of your friends, donate it to a charity gift drive.
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Remember the last time you got a gift at home that you completely forgot you had? Those unopened or ungiven gifts are a sign that you are buying (or getting) more than you need. Gift giving may be your love language, but you will get a lot of emotional disappointment with your money actually giving those gifts. Don’t wait until your niece is in her twenties to give her that baby toy you thought was so cute.
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If you’re worried about not being prepared for a gift-giving event, keep that in mind most people like a $20 gift cardwhich you can always download at the last minute. Here in the Philadelphia area, Wawa gift cards are always a popular item at a gift exchange party because they can subsidize both gas and coffee, and that’s the best kind of win. Gift cards to Apple, Amazon, and Target are popular around the world. (And if you have unused gift cards, you can use them to fund your giving habit!)
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Don’t fall because of fear, uncertainty, and doubt advertisers will use them to buy now and buy more. Yes, retailers will apply prices against your wallet this year. Be prepared for that argument. Don’t buy something just because the price might go up. Buy it if it’s on your list (see #1 above).
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This one is for the empty nesters: Check your mood this gift-buying season. If the number of bodies in your house has changed, then your shopping habits need to change, too. Newly minted college kids will be grateful for cash or gift cards to fund their blended lifestyle. The same is the case with newly introduced new products. Before delighting the new grandchildren with many gifts, contact the parents, as their values and their homes may lean towards minimalism. Don’t buy random things that other people don’t have room for…even if they’re super cute or on sale, and even if you remember them being away from home for the holidays. A trip to see your loved ones, even if it’s not a big day, is often a better gift than things that will quickly end up in the landfill.
Making Your List to Avoid Over-Holiday Shopping
Back to point number 1 above, making that list is important. And starting a list is the first step to avoid overbuying. Open that notes app on your phone and type in the name of the first person you’re going to buy a gift for and, if you have an idea of what to look for, the name of the item. You can create a line item list, or a simple grid format. It will look like this:
Go ahead, I’ll wait. 🙂
Now, what would be a good grade or maximum value to use for that item? Add that to your note, too. If you get an offer under that number, you’ll feel like you’ve got a deal!
Then, according to point number 3 above, add something to your list that you might buy anyway, and you can definitely buy if you see it on sale.
It’s very good. You are on your way from being an over-shopper to being a smart-shopper. Keep it up, and enjoy your holiday shopping.