25/01/2026

ON SUNDAY January 25, 2026 theSunday Special XII

Overbuying rarely starts with extravagance, but it begins with small, repeated impulses Caught in the cart BY HANNEF ESQUANDER

KLJK TXDOLW\ WKHUPR ÀDVN D JRRG SDLU RI UXQQLQJ VKRHV RU DQ HOHFWULF RLO GL̆ XVHU from a reliable homeware brand. Items that come in packs of three or ¿YH PD\ QRW QHFHVVDULO\ ODVW ORQJHU *HW just one that you know comes from a good brand. You will get more wear out of it. This is true for makeup supplies, toiletries and stationery. A glue stick from a good brand will last just as long as the cheap ones that come in a pack of three. If something is not essential and you feel like you can do without it, give it a waiting period. You can actually go back to using your wired earphones after losing your expensive Bluetooth headphones. You know you are going to lose them again anyway, so why bother? Fix your broken items before buying a new one. All you need to do is sew back the button on that shirt or, if the zipper on your backpack is stuck, rub it with a candle. There are so many of these life hacks and frugal tips available online. Give your items a second chance before tossing them into the bin. Also, buy less of anything disposable like razors, kitchen towels, food containers, air fryer liners and paper plates. Reduce the number of \RXU FRQWULEXWLRQV WR ODQG¿OOV Shop second-hand and preloved before buying something new. Give these items a second life. Why buy a new pair of pre-distressed denim jeans when you can get them second-hand for RM5 from a bundle? If you are into fashion and feel the pressure to keep up with the latest trends, just know that trends will always make a comeback. Clothing from the Y2K and early 2000s is everywhere in thrift stores. There is just no reason to buy reissues of low-rise jeans and slogan baby tees when you can purchase the originals in good condition for a fraction of the price. Finally, just go out and touch the grass. What are you even doing, watching all these shopping hauls and blind box hauls when you could be outside in nature and trying new things? Go hiking because it LV GH¿QLWHO\ EHWWHU WKDQ ZDONLQJ DURXQG inside the shopping mall. Take up a new hobby to distract yourself from the com pulsive urge to shop. Small changes lead to big habits. Curb ing overconsumption does not require drastic steps. All it takes is a bit of aware ness, some patience and the courage to choose what truly matters.

W E are now living in a world where everything has been taken over by consumerism and sadly, we are completely okay with it or even worse, some of us are not even aware of it. The reason is that consumerism sneakily infiltrates our lives daily and the culprit is social media. How many times have you talked about something or someone just to have it magically appear on your timeline via paid advertisement? What about personalities that you follow on social media, showing their suspiciously very curated life with a link to purchase in the caption? There is no escaping consumerism. Clothing retailers used to restock their racks with new styles every season (four times a year), but by 2005, stores like H&M and Zara were releasing new pieces every two weeks. We all know where these clothes will end up, but the fashion industry is not the only one at fault. There has been a sudden surge in interest in toys DQG ¿JXULQHV DV HYLGHQFHG E\ WKH VXFFHVV of China’s Pop Mart. The blind box trend tricks people into overconsumption by encouraging them to buy multiples of WKH VDPH WR\ RU ¿JXULQH IRU WKH WKULOO RI a dopamine hit. With the Labubu craze ¿QDOO\ FRPLQJ WR DQ HQG WKULIW VWRUHV DQG

charity shops in the United States and the 8QLWHG .LQJGRP KDYH EHHQ ÀRRGHG ZLWK overpriced monster dolls looking for new owners. Sadly, people have moved on and no one is interested. Another peak overconsumption trend on social media is the haul. People on social media proudly show their hauls, also known as items that they do not particularly need but willingly purchased with their own hard-earned cash anyway. :KR QHHGV OLS JORVV LQ D SDFN RI ¿YH RU the same designer shoes in every colour because you can’t decide on just one? Such behaviour not only normalises overconsumption but also reinforces the KDUPIXO QRWLRQ WKDW WKRVH ZKR FDQ¶W D̆ RUG to shop are somehow failing or falling behind in life. Feeling lesser than and sorry for ourselves is exactly what social media has been doing to us, yet we just can’t help but come back for more. Breaking the habit The cure for this disease is self-control and a change in spending habits. Why not? The next time you are in charge of purchasing birthday presents or wedding gifts, choose experiences over material items. Get a hotel stay or spa package instead of the tea set that the newlyweds might have already been gifted. Arrange

for an all-paid weekend trip for your friend’s birthday for a change, because she does not really need the new handbag that she just couldn’t stop stalking. But if you really want to get them something special, choose something they could use for a long time. Forget makeup or the latest smartphone model. Get them a

Scrolling shopping content fuels impulse buying.