15 Great Things To Do Instead of Shopping Complulsively 

Do you ever feel the urge to shop? You are sitting there just going about your day and you suddenly feel like you need to shop. You pull out your phone and you open Amazon and you start searching around for something you “need” to buy. Or worse your scrolling Instagram and you see an add that triggers your need to shop. And finally there’s those wonderful sales e-mails. You have special bonus cash! And everything is on sale! 

It can be really hard to fight this urge to shop, even for a minimalist like me. Why? Are there good things to do instead of shopping compulsively? How can you stop a toxic shopping habit in it’s tracks?


Let’s figure all that out together! 

Why Do We Have the Urge to Shop?

First of all let’s acknowledge the reasons that we get that urge to shop. I think there are quite a lot of them.

First of all, boredom can play a roll. You are looking through your Instagram or e-mail and you see something pretty you want to buy on impulse. That perks you up with dopamine! You have to order something boring like vitamins on Amazon and you want to order something fun too. Or you run in the store and you see all the great sales! All of those things seem fun and way less boring than not shopping. 

Another reason I think we get the urge to shop is low-level depression. We don’t really realize we feel depressed or anxious but we do and we go in a store or we pull up our phone apps looking for something to cheer us up. I’ve literally walked around Target thinking; “I just want something pretty. I deserve something pretty.” Isn’t that sad? Sad but true. 

And then there’s the whole consumer society around us. It’s constantly telling us that we will look better if we follow this trend and buy that product. It makes us feel bad about ourselves and offers the solution which of course we can buy! It is always pressuring us, no matter how hard we try to ignore it, to buy more to feel whole and to compete with eachother. It’s sick. 

Why Should We Ignore the Urge to Shop? 

So if shopping is fun and makes us happy when we are sad why should we curb our shopping habit? If we are addicted to shopping and that’s why we fit in and always look like everyone else what’s wrong with it? 

Well, I’m sure you know why. Because those statements are not really true and not really healthy viewpoints. 

In actual reality shopping doesn’t really make us happy. That short burst of dopamine may feel good for a little while but it quickly fades. Due to the lovely hedonic treadmill we may enjoy a new purchase for 8 minutes but then it’s just an old thing and we move on to looking for a new new thing.

The urge to shop, when filled, also doesn’t address the real reasons we are depressed or anxious. In fact shopping may add to those feelings because now we are broke or even in debt and we feel guilt and regret over spending money we didn’t need to spend. 

And finally, no matter how fast we buy the latest trends or show off the newest phone or car, we will never be like everyone else and that’s a good thing. We should want to be ourselves and that should be cool enough for anyone who deserves us. There is so much more to us than how we look and those other amazing things are what we should all be working hard to improve and develop. 

So if we need to break our shopping habit we need to replace it with better things to do. But when you are used to shopping every time your bored or sad or insecure you may have a hard time figuring out what to do instead of buying stuff. How do you stop shopping or at least slow down?

That’s what this post is for! I’m going to give you 15 great things to do instead of shopping so you can break the habit and find more satisfaction and fulfillment outside of the the mall or the app!

Find Great Things to Do Instead of Shopping 

There are lots of things to do instead of shopping! Some of them are completely free and some of them cost money but make for much more satisfaction than shopping. If you are ever stuck wondering what to do instead of online shopping or what to do instead of buying stuff in person think back and redirect your urge to shop to something much better! 

1: Get Up and Do Something Productive

The first thing I think of when I’m pulling up Amazon for no reason or clicking on an Instagram add or putzing around on Poshmark is “What should I be doing?” 

There’s always something you need to be doing and a lot of times online shopping is just a way to procrastinate doing things like cleaning the house, folding laundry, doing dishes or even doing your work. 

Stop and think about it. What should you be doing? That’s what to do instead of online shopping. And yeah, chores and work aren’t fun but you will be glad when you get them over with! 

2: Go Outside

The next thing you can do to fight your urge to shop is to get outside. Maybe you could take a walk or perhaps you will just sit on the porch and enjoy whatever view you have. 

If you want to do something fun on the weekend don’t go to mall. Go on a hike, a bikeride or a kayak adventure. Or simply go to a beautiful park nearby. 

Going outside is usually free, it’s good for your mental and physical health and it’s much more satisfying than buying junk you don’t need.

3: Read a Book

If you are sitting on your couch enjoying some screentime why not read a book instead of pulling up online shopping options.

Reading can satisfy your mind’s desire for something new and exciting by putting you in the shoes of people in different lands, cultures and times. You can even get practical guidance for every day life with non-ficition books. 

Be careful though! Don’t turn your new found love of reading into another excuse to shop! With apps like Libby, Audible and Kindle you can get a lot of books for free or with a subscription. 

4: Take a Little Time for Creativity

What if you aren’t a big reader or you just aren’t in the mood? No problem! Do you have a favorite creative hobby? When was the last time you played your musical instrument, picked up your pencils and paints or wrote something for fun?

If you don’t have a creative hobby yet go looking for one! I love to make jewelry and sew clothes as well as writing for this blog and my fiction projects. Think about what you used to love as a child! Take lessons! Read this post for more ideas.  

5: Get Some Exercise

How about when you don’t want to be creative and you don’t to read a book? Sometimes shopping is so deliciously mindless but you know what you can do instead? Get some exercise!

You can go to the gym, do a workout video on YouTube, stretch, swim, or do any number of outdoor activities. You can do a dancing video or you can go to a dance class or just turn on some music and dance around the house!

There are a million ways to get up and move your body and it’s a great way to fight that need to shop. Your shopping addiction has a lot to do with endorphin seeking and as Elle Woods said in Legally Blonde;

“Exercise produces endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t kill their husbands.” 

6: Contact a Friend

Another one of the things to do instead of shopping is to contact a friend. Text someone you have been thinking about or call your mom, grandma or aunt. Go out for coffee or lunch with your best friend! 

According to the World Happiness Report; “While basic living standards are essential for happiness, after the baseline has been met, happiness varies more with the quality of human relationships than income.” 

What would happen if every time you felt a little sad, bored or lonely you didn’t try to mask those feelings with stuff but instead reversed them with human connection? 

7: Look for Something Fun to Plan 

If you like to do some online shopping when you’re bored and you are looking for what to do instead of online shopping than you might have a little extra money laid by. Maybe instead of shopping you should plan something fun like a trip or a party or another cool experience. 

I am currently in the process of planning two trips and researching what we will do, where we will stay and how we will get to each location. It is taking up a lot of my spare time. It’s a really fun thing to do and in my opinion the trips we are going to take are going to be a thousand times better than buying a bunch of random clothes and gadgets online. 

Also, the only reason we can plan these trips is because I don’t shop a lot so we do save a lot. 

8: Bake or Cook Something

So you want something pretty and you’re bored? That is why you have that urge to shop? I can’t think anything better to fill all of those needs than to bake something delicious! 

You can make a pretty dessert to share with friends and family. You can cook a delicious dinner. Maybe you will get really into it and master the art of bread or maybe you will keep it simple and pick up a few easy recipes you can make over and over again. One day I might even see you on The Great British Baking Show! 

One thing I know for sure about breaking your shopping addiction with baking is that you will be a lot more proud of yourself when you create something in your kitchen!

9: Pet Your Dog

Sometimes we can’t think of what to do instead of shopping when we have a friend sitting right next to us, or waiting for us at home. 

If you have the urge to shop because you feel a little sad or lonely maybe you just need to play with your dog. I know that sounds like an overly simplistic solution but if you have a dog you have a buddy that is living for your attention. Throw it’s favorite toy or take it on a walk. You may just find those blues disappearing in a very short time!

If you have another kind of pet you can still play with them, care for them and take time to appreciate them. It’s the simple things in life that give us the most pleasure. 

10: Help Someone

Another great way to break up the blues and fight your shopping habit is to look for ways to help someone. Maybe you can use some of your money to help someone out. We all know a family member with a bum car, an older person who needs groceries or someone who is struggling to pay their bills. 

All of us can sacrifice a little time, if not money, to help others by volunteering, lending a helping hand, bringing over a meal or just being a listening ear. 

When you replace a shopping trip with time serving others you will come out of it happier every time. 

11: Have a Cuppa 

What else can you do to sooth your urge to shop? Why not just have a cup of tea? I don’t know about you but when I’m feeling stressed, sad or tired I could pull out my phone and shop online or I could sit quietly with a cup of tea and feel a lot better. 

If tea isn’t your thing have some coffee or a hot chocolate or something else that feels like a little treat and just stop to enjoy some silence. How often do you just let yourself stop and think? I know I almost always have some form of external stimuli and when I have a second to just roam around in my mind I often work through the problems that have been stressing me out and that’s when I find creative solutions! 

12: Watch Something

I know I sometimes feel like watching a movie in the middle of the day is frivolous, wasteful or selfish but think about it. When you are wondering what to do instead of buying stuff why is staying at home and watching a movie a bad thing? It costs less money and it can be more relaxing! 

Treat yourself to the luxurious treat of watching a cute romcom or a sweeping period drama instead of giving into your urge to shop. It’s not that bad to take a couple of hours watching a movie instead of a couple hours strolling the mall and I bet it will cost a lot less! 

13: Play a Game

Another idea when you are looking for things to do instead of shopping is to just play a game! If you are into online shopping why not try a computer game? If you like to shop in person why not invite a friend or two over for board games instead? 

Playing games is a great way to spend your time! It uses your mind and often encourages socializing even for the nerdiest among us (AKA me). 

14: Learn a Language

There are really a million things you can do instead of shopping. It almost becomes laughable to think that you ever thought that going shopping in person or online was a good way to spend your time.

One thing you may have always wished you had time for is learning a language so why not do that instead of shopping? Download DuoLingo or another app and start learning a language! When you get bored with one language try another. You can always switch back and forth to keep it fresh! 

Don’t give up and before you know it you will have enough vocabulary in the language you are learning to take a trip to the place where it is spoken! And you will be able to take that trip with the money you saved by not shopping!  

15: Play With Your Stuff 

Last but not least, when you are looking for things to do instead of shopping why not look around your home at all the stuff you already have? Everything you have is something you thought you really wanted once upon a time! That means you probably have some pretty cool stuff to play with already and you don’t need to go shopping for more. 

Do you have an old video game consoles and all the games that go with them? Play Mario Cart or DDR again! Do you have cool stuff for your favorite hobbies? Use it and make something awesome! Is there a stack of books you have been meaning to read? Sit down and read them. Use your exercise equipment, cook with your cooking tools, and ride your bike! 

Use the stuff you have instead of shopping for more and you will find yourself appreciating things more and finding contentment!

There Are Some Many Things to Do Instead of Shopping! Break the Habit! 

Now that you have a ton of ideas for things to do instead of shopping doesn’t shopping actually sound like the most boring option? If not, at least it sounds like the most expensive one and maybe you can slow down your shopping. I mean, how many vacations and really valuable experiences have you missed cause you were broke? And how much of that money was spent on random Target runs and Amazon hauls? 

That being said, if you are addicted to shopping it can be hard to break the habit. Here are a few tips that can help.

• Hit unsubscribe to emails from stores, especially your favorites. 
• Don’t engage with Instagram and Facebook adds. Click on one once and you will keep seeing it over and over and over until you lose your will to resist. 
• Delete online shopping apps like Amazon, Temu, and Shein from your phone. 
• When friends ask if you want to go shopping offer other alternatives. 
• Make it a habit to look at all that you own and appreciate your abundance so you don’t live in a scarcity mindset. 
• Have something exciting to save for. 

If all else fails maybe you need to plunge into living a minimalist lifestyle. Why? Because only by experiencing all the wonderful benefits of minimalism will you be able to fully appreciate the beauty of simplicity! 

But how do you start the minimalist lifestyle? Isn’t it kind of extreme? Not at all! It’s easy. I’ll show you how to make minimalism work for you in my e-book Doable SImplicity (minimalism for normal people).