The REAL Reason You Hate Shopping (and how you can learn to love it!)
By Mary Michele Nidiffer, Founder + Master Style Coach

I talk with a lot of women and often I’m surprised by what I hear. In our conversations women often divulge their biggest challenges and frustrations when it comes to fashion and I’ve heard more times than I can count from women who simply hate to shop. Now hate is a strong word that I don’t like to use, however sometimes it’s exactly the right word to describe the frustration and disgust that women feel upon leaving a store – or even entering one.

Why does this happen so often? Well, I have a very good reason and the good news is that there is a very easy solution. Quite simply, women are overwhelmed when they go shopping. They know they need new clothes so they set out to go to the mall or a shop online. They look around, can’t find anything that appeals to them, and leave soon thereafter with nothing new in hand – or another pair of black pants. Has this happened to you?

Shopping can be fun. In fact, I love to shop, whether for clothing, accessories or even food (especially Farmer’s Markets!). But there have been many times in the past when I didn’t enjoy shopping. What changed for me? Well, aside from the fact that I am a fashionista at heart, here are my best tips that made shopping so much easier for me – and how you can even learn to love it!

1/ Understand Your Body Type 

 If you don’t know what your personal attributes are, then how can you know how to dress? Sure, you can just grab any old thing off the rack, but it’s not going to feel right nor will it make you look your best. Taking time out to discover your your body type and what silhouettes fit and flatter you will go a LONG way towards helping you determine what’s right for you and how to put together an outfit.

2/ Define Your Style

After you uncover your body type, then you want to get to the core of who you are and what’s important to you. After all, you can pick any dress off the rack but finding the one that makes you feel more like you is like striking gold! Take our Style ID(™) quiz to determine your style type and help you create a look that’s right for you whether you’re working or just working in the yard. Connecting with your personal style can help you feel more like yourself in all you do and makes it easy to know what to look for. Plus, once you understand it you’ll get that you NEVER have to sacrifice style for comfort again.

3/ Understand Your Lifestyle 

Look at what you do in any given week and that generally determines your lifestyle and how you should be dressing. If you spend most of your days in your home office and attending networking events and meetings then an upscale casual mode of dress will be what you reach for most often and where you get the most mileage. Spend the bulk of your budget on what you’ll wear the most and buy only items that give you maximum versatility. You’ll make it easy peasy and dressing will become a joy, not a chore.

4/ Know What You Have 

Take stock of your closet and what you already own. Then ask yourself what you can bring in to make new outfits. When you are familiar with what is already in your closet, then making the most of it becomes easy. Create your shopping list and do your homework BEFORE you hit the stores and see how much more simple it is to find something that you love!

5/ Find a Resource You Can Trust

Sure, you can shop anywhere. But when you can find a trusted resource that offers clothing that works for where you are in your journey now, along with styling tips and guidance, that goes a long way to taking the stress out of shopping (and getting dressed). 

If you haven’t tuned into our LIVE shows at StyleFinder, what are you waiting for? We have an easy to shop APP you can download on your phone, then tune into our live shows to see our models wearing and styling clothing that you’ll love! With a focus on building a wardrobe around timeless staples, while adding in affordable, on-trend items to keep it fresh, we help you know what to wear and how to wear it. Then watch your confidence soar!

Learning to love shopping may seem like a lofty goal but it is possible. Take yourself through these steps and you’ll save yourself tons of time, frustration and money because you’ll know what to buy and how to create a wardrobe that works for you.

Discover your body type, signature silhouettes and your Style ID(™) along with your signature colors in our signature course, How to Find Your Signature Style at FindYourSignatureStyle.com. Watch our live shows by downloading the StyleFinder Boutique APP for iPhone or Android.