Dr Oz: Bad Online Shopping Habit
Americans will spend $45 million shopping online in just one hour, but often that seemingly fun, innocent activity can turn into an addiction. That’s exactly why Dr Oz was compelled to come up with his internet shopping detox. The author of “The Recovering Spender” Lauren Greutman joined the show, explaining that shopping online gives us the same type of pleasure as a slice of chocolate cake or a glass of wine.
In recent studies, approximately 25% of people say they’re shopping online once a week and 36% say they’re shopping online once a month. In terms of online purchases by generation, 63% of millennials shop online, while generation X makes about 41% of their purchases online.
Are you addicted to online shopping? Do you need a digital detox to help break the habit? Dr Oz shared his best tips and tricks with the help of an expert. (robbertjnoordzij / Flickr)
But how do you know if you have a true problem with online shopping?
Dr Oz: Are You Addicted To Online Shopping?
- Has overspending caused conflict in your life?
- Do you feel a sense of happiness and euphoria when you’re shopping online?
- Do you often forget what you’ve bought until the package shows up at the door?
- Do you feel regretful once the rush has worn off from your purchase?
If you answered yes to all four questions, you may have an internet shopping problem.
Dr Oz: Internet Shopping Detox
The first step of the internet shopping detox is to make a gadget list. Draw a chart and make a list of the gadgets you use to shop with on the left, and then on the right make a list of things you could be doing instead of shopping online. As Lauren put it, the list can serve as a reflection of your values, proving what you’re spending your time on as opposed to what you should be spending your time on.
When it comes to those gadgets, turn off all the notifications that may encourage the shopping. Additionally, you should take inventory of what you already have. If you don’t know what you have, there’s a good chance you may buy it again, spending more money than you need to. While taking inventory, break things down into three categories: need, want, and junk.
Additionally, set your eyes on one goal item. Don’t buy anything online for an entire week or entire month, and have one, reasonable item that you can buy at the end of that time period as a reward. It will help retrain your brain to know what’s okay to buy, while developing more self-control.
Dr Oz: Tips For Smarter Online Shopping
You can also sign up for an app called Unroll Me which will help put an end to all those triggering emails and notifications you may get. Cold Turkey is another app that blocks specific websites that you choose. You can make a schedule that will actually block those websites during specific times to keep you from visiting them.
Another great tip is to leave items in your virtual shopping cart for 24 hours to be sure you really need or want them a day later. Honey is a browser app that you can use to take advantage of deals that you may not otherwise know about.
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