When shopping backfires.

Yesterday, there were six packages on my front porch when I arrived home.

Some of it was just everyday essentials in our household - paper towels, diapers, and laundry supplies. The fourth package had replacement bins that I bought for my closet. The fifth had a book I bought to help me learn more about my digital camera. And the sixth had a page turner remote for my Kindle.

Every one of these things comes with a time investment cost, not just a monetary cost. They each have to be put away. The page turner, I need to learn how to use. The bins require me to refold, etc. the clothes that were in the old bins. That’s after I get them all the way upstairs to my room. The book I only needed because I bought that digital camera a while back and need to learn how to use. For that, I also need to actually sit down and read the book.

And while I got a little “pick me up” when I ordered these (even the household goods), and again when I see the packages….

Overall, the new stuff just makes me feel even more overwhelmed in the midst of existing clutter.

Which is ironic, right? Considering that I end up shopping because I’m sad or stressed, and then end up more stressed and overwhelmed because of the shopping.

The question is - how do I get that little dopamine hit without actually needed to shop?

It’s food for thought.