Mindful Consumer: 5 Steps to Be a More Conscious Shopper
Your long-term mental health, and your bank balance, will prosper by being more conscious and mindful about your shopping habits. Make a conscious decision every time you shop to follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a more mindful consumer.
Text: Jacob Lane Photo: Gustaf peterson
Published
2023-11-21
The past few years have seen most of us spending more time at home than ever before, and with that many of us have turned our attention to de-cluttering, minimising what we own, and streamlining our lifestyles. Thanks in part to the hit Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, we’ve got rid of hundreds of items of clothing, home-wares, and more; and business is still booming for the de-cluttering experts. But how do we make sure we don’t fall right back into the trap of impulse buying and cluttering up our homes again?
By making conscious decisions about what we buy, we’ll not only maintain the simple homes we desire, we’ll also save money in the long-run, look after our mental health more effectively, make an environmental impact, and won’t have to go through the rigorous de-cluttering process again.
Buy classic pieces
Don’t feel like you should never buy anything new again. A few simple classic pieces in your wardrobe will afford your fashion choices a timeless look that means you can continue to wear them for years, and they will pair with almost any outfit. You’ll never look out of place in a plain white shirt or a pair of well-cut jeans that suit your body shape. Whilst it may sound counter-intuitive, a small but well-thought-out wardrobe can actually make it easier to decide what to wear each day, and you’ll have an outfit ready to go for every occasion.
A great way to keep your purchasing habits sustainable is to buy vintage. The modern culture of fast fashion means many items from high street stores are poorly made with low quality materials, and won’t last very long. Harry Diamond, owner of Cry For The Moon, explains that “Antique and vintage fashion are sustainable alternatives when accessorising your wardrobe. The reuse of these precious materials reduces the need for sourcing new materials breathes new life into handmade designs.” Vintage watches is also a good financial investment as the premium paid on ‘new’ items don’t apply, and there will always be a strong market for collectables. Whilst some older items can be frayed with age, others maintain a glorious antique character, such as beautiful and unique watches, or solid wood furniture for your home. By buying second-hand vintage, you’ll not only impress your friends with your one-of-a-kind retro items, you’ll also score extra points for sustainability.
One of the most effective ways to become a mindful consumer is to only buy what you really need. Only go shopping when you notice that something is broken, empty, or worn out, and just buy the replacement item that you need. It’s all too easy to get swept up in sales and special offers, or to go along with the latest TikTok trend that will be forgotten by next month. Making sure that you avoid these kinds of impulse purchases is a great first step on your mindful shopping journey.
Buying good quality items can mean a more expensive initial outlay, but you’ll reap the rewards in the long term. One pair of good quality jeans that lasts you ten years is a better, and more sustainable, investment than having to replace your cheaper low quality jeans every year or two. Using this tip in combination with the ideas above means that one pair of jeans could go a long way. You won’t have to spend as much time shopping around as often either, so you can use that time to get on with the things you really enjoy.
If you’re not 100% sure about the item you’re looking at, don’t buy it. Marie Kondo says we should only keep things that bring us joy, and that’s the same for new purchases. Consider Shakaila Forbes-Bell’s “Four-Three-Two-One-Rule” in her book Big Dress Energy, and decide whether you’ll still be wearing it in four years time, or whether you’ll wear it on at least three separate occasions. Take two deep breaths, and sleep on it one night before you take the plunge. The same rule can be applied to non-clothing items as well. If you’re still thinking about it when you wake up in the morning, the chances are it’s worth getting. Giving yourself time to really think about your purchases and whether you truly need them is a great step towards a more mindful shopping experience.
Maintaining your mindful shopping approach
Whilst you may get an instant dopamine hit from an impulse purchase, your long-term mental health, and your bank balance, will prosper by being more conscious and mindful about your shopping habits. Make a conscious decision every time you shop to follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a more mindful consumer.
Thank you, good quality product. And good price. Long time shipping. Short information from the sealer. But everything correct.
Monica F
2024-09-16
Buyer
2024-08-31
Product was delivered quickly, neatly and without shipping costs. Excellent service
Dennis D
2024-09-16
Buyer
2024-08-29
Parfait...
Pauline B
2024-09-16
Buyer
2024-09-02
All very good. Thank you.
Jacek L
2024-09-16
Buyer
2024-08-31
bonnes explications, Climat de confiance Tout s'est déroulé vite et bien
Bertrand B
2024-09-16
Buyer
2024-08-30
La entrega por DHL no ha sido correcta, con sucesivos retrasos
Adolfo W
2024-09-16
Buyer
2024-08-31
Duidelijke website, makkelijk te hanteren. Mooie producten. Snelle en zorgvuldige levering. CoC is betrouwbaar en heeft een heel goede service!
Remco d
2024-09-12
Buyer
2024-08-29
Todo Perfecto
Josep S
2024-09-09
Buyer
2024-08-22
The purchase experience has been very good, if I have put five stars is because I think the delivery time could be improved a little.
Francisco J
2024-09-09
Buyer
2024-08-23
good products and service
Giuseppe C
2024-09-09
Buyer
2024-08-24
All ok, thanks
Alvaro M
2024-09-05
Buyer
2024-08-21
Great products, great service I recomend
Loïc D
2024-09-03
Buyer
2024-08-17
Alles ok :))))
Waldemar P
2024-09-02
Buyer
2024-08-16
Everything ok
Francesco Z
2024-08-29
Buyer
2024-08-14
Muy buena experiencia Les agradezco
Marius D
2024-08-26
Buyer
2024-08-10
Très bon service client : J'avais commandé un polo et ai constaté au bout d'une semaine qu'il avait été livré par erreur à une mauvaise adresse. J'ai contacté Care of Carl par mail et ai reçu par retour une réponse de Christian. Celui-ci a fait le nécessaire pour me faire livrer de nouveau très rapidement pour ne pas rater l'anniversaire du destinataire du cadeau. Accessoirement, Care of Carl offre un grand choix d'articles de qualité à des prix raisonnables.
DOMINIQUE F
2024-08-23
Buyer
2024-07-11
Very good 👍
Evan M
2024-08-22
Buyer
2024-08-08
Excellent produit, site de vente très bien merci
Yves H
2024-08-15
Buyer
2024-07-31
Excellent choice and service
Eoin W
2024-08-14
Buyer
2024-07-30
Excellent services and response. Fine products and express delivery. All good site is suggested
GEORGIOS M
2024-08-13
Buyer
2024-07-25
La bonne taille, le bon service et le juste prix. Un autre site un peu moins cher mais la chemise en custom fit au lieu de slim fit.
David S
2024-08-13
Buyer
2024-07-29
Establecimiento recomendable. Buen precio, envío rápido y con número de seguimiento. Muy amables en la atención al cliente.
DAVID B
2024-08-12
Buyer
2024-07-26
Tailor your shopping experience!
CareOfCarl.com uses cookies and similar technologies to keep our site working securely and reliably, to measure website performance, and offer a tailored.. Read moreadvertising and shopping experience. To do this, we collect data pertaining to our users, their shopping patterns, and devices. By selecting ‘Accept all’, you agree to the collection of such data and the sharing of this data with third parties such as our marketing partners. This may involve your data being processed in the USA. If you decline, only essential cookies will be used, meaning we will be unable to offer a tailored experience. Select ‘Manage Preferences’ for more detailed information and to manage which kinds of cookies you allow. You may change your preferences at any time. Learn more about our use of cookies in our Privacy Policy.
ACCEPT ALL MANAGE PREFERENCES
The below explains the different categories of cookies used and allows you to adjust your preferences. Learn more about our use of cookies here and in our Privacy Policy.
ACCEPT ALL
Essential
Certain cookies are essential to the basic functionality of our website. Cookies are, for example, necessary for adding an item to your basket.
Marketing
We use a number of different marketing-related cookies to advertise our site and our products. The services used are explained in our cookie policy.
Analytics
These cookies allow use to analyse user behaviour in order to develop and improve the shopping experience, for example with the help of Google Analytics.
Functional
This category is used to enhance the content and functionality of our website, including functions such as Imbox, our chat and customer care platform.
Personalisation
We use cookies to tailor certain parts of the website to individual users. This includes functions such as ‘My Reference Items’.
SAVE AND CLOSE
Choose your delivery country
{
"SE": {
"content": "Välkommen till vår svenska butik. ",
"usp_list": [
"Fri frakt över 399 kr",
"Fri retur",
"1-3 dagars leverans"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_SV.png",
"cta": "Välj ditt leveransland",
"button_text": "Byt land"
},
"IE": {
"content": "Welcome to our English store! Here's some specific information for international customers.",
"usp_list": [
"Free Delivery From €30",
"Free returns",
"No customs duties"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_EU.png",
"cta": "Choose your delivery country",
"button_text": "Change country"
},
"DK": {
"content": "Velkommen til vores danske butik! Her er nogle specifikke oplysninger for Danmark.",
"usp_list": [
"Fri fragt over 299;-",
"Fri retur",
"1-3 dages levering"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_DK.png",
"cta": "Vælg dit leveringsland",
"button_text": "Skift land"
},
"FI": {
"content": "Tervetuloa suomalaiseen kauppaamme! Tässä on tiettyjä tietoja Suomelle.",
"usp_list": [
"Ilmainen toimitus yli 30€ tilauksille",
"Maksuton palautus",
"Toimitusaika 2-5 pv"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_FI.png",
"cta": "Valitse toimitusmaasi",
"button_text": "Vaihda maata"
},
"NL": {
"content": "Welkom in onze Nederlandse winkel! Hier is wat specifieke informatie voor Nederland.",
"usp_list": [
"Gratis bezorging vanaf €30",
"Gratis retour",
"Geen inklaringskosten"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_NL.png",
"cta": "Kies uw bezorgland",
"button_text": "Verander van land"
},
"DE": {
"content": "Willkommen in unserem deutschen Shop! Hier sind einige spezifische Informationen für Deutschland.",
"usp_list": [
"Standardversand frei ab 30 Euro Bestellwert",
"Kostenlose Rücksendung",
"Keine Zollgebühren"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_DE.png",
"cta": "Wählen Sie Ihr Lieferland",
"button_text": "Land ändern"
},
"AT": {
"content": "Willkommen in unserem österreichischen Shop! Hier sind einige spezifische Informationen für Österreich.",
"usp_list": [
"Standardversand frei ab 30 Euro Bestellwert",
"Kostenlose Rücksendung",
"Keine Zollgebühren"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_AT.png",
"cta": "Wählen Sie Ihr Lieferland",
"button_text": "Land ändern"
},
"ES": {
"content": "¡Bienvenido a nuestra tienda española! Aquí tienes información específica para España.",
"usp_list": [
"Envío gratuito a partir de 30 €",
"Devoluciones gratuitas",
"Sin derechos de aduana"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_EU.png",
"cta": "Elija su país de entrega",
"button_text": "Cambiar país"
},
"FR": {
"content": "Bienvenue dans notre boutique française! Voici des informations spécifiques pour la France.",
"usp_list": [
"Livraison gratuite à partir de 30 €",
"Retours gratuits",
"Pas de frais de douane"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_EU.png",
"cta": "Choisissez votre pays de livraison",
"button_text": "Changer de pays"
},
"IT": {
"content": "Benvenuti nel nostro negozio italiano! Ecco alcune informazioni specifiche per l'Italia.",
"usp_list": [
"Spedizione gratuita oltre 399 kr",
"Reso gratuito",
"Nessun dazio doganale"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_EU.png",
"cta": "Scegli il tuo paese di consegna",
"button_text": "Cambia paese"
},
"NO": {
"content": "Velkommen til vår norske butikk! Her er litt spesifikk informasjon for Norge.",
"usp_list": [
"Fri frakt over 399,-",
"Fri retur",
"1-4 dagers levering"
],
"image": "https://www.careofcarl.com/dokument/bibliotek/Image/Bilder/Hemsida/Footer/country_select_NO.png",
"cta": "Velg ditt leveringsland",
"button_text": "Bytt land"
}
}