5 things you must do in the change room

If you're like me, you do at least a fair proportion of your shopping online, these days, but for me at least, that is more from necessity than preference. Being able to try something on before you give away your hard earned cash is really valuable - and something I wish we had a lot more opportunity to do, and something I like do to whenever I get the opportunity. 
When you do get the chance, there are 5 things you simply must do while you are in the change room to make sure you're not going to make a buying decision you regret.

1. A moment of affirmation.
First things first. When you get undressed, before you try the new thing on - just stand there in your underwear for a moment, looking into the mirror. Smile. Blow yourself a kiss. Dance a little, if you like. Then say (silently, or very quietly, don't want to freak anyone out, now) "You are beautiful, and I love you!" .. the first few million times you do this it might sound really fake and feel a bit silly.. but your subconscious is listening. Be kind. Being in front of a mirror is not an opportunity to start swilling the hatorade.
2. Rear View Window.  Right, now you're ready - put on whatever it is you want to try on. then - turn around and look at it from the back. Unless you have great mirrors at home this might be your only chance to do this!  Is the hemline and/or seams sitting straight? Does it fit well, without any straining or gaping? How does it look from the back? The sides? Turn around and have a good long look from every angle. If it doesn't fit you well, it's probably a bad choice.
3. Bend and Stretch. Bend over. Reach your arms up over your head. Wave your arms around. If the garment pulls or grabs or rides up in an unpleasant way - don't buy it! You need to be able to do things while you're wearing this. If you can't raise a glass in a toast or bend over to tie a shoelace, you have a problem. Naturally an evening gown is going to require a bit less movement than a pair of new gym pants, but either way, movement is required, so it's best to find out now whether this garment is a hit or a miss.
4. The Big Squeeze Take a handful of the fabric and give it a bit of a squeeze. If this results in creases, decide whether you love this garment enough to iron it all the time. I'm not the ironing type, so this is usually a real deciding factor for me - if it creases, I sigh and leave it behind. 
5. Examine the Insides Have a look at the seams, the buttons, all the construction elements of the garment. Give it a little tug, if you like.. is it well made? Is it going to fall apart when you wash it? Is it lined, if so, is the quality good, or is it going to leave you sweating? Do the hems look sturdy? Are the zips smooth? Are the buttons attached well? Some of this you can do a bit of mending on and fix up yourself, but it's much better not to have to in the first place. If there's a manufacturing fault you might be able to swap it out for another one before purchasing, but if it's poor workmanship all around, your money is probably better spent elsewhere. 
Right, once your potential new purchase has been thoroughly examined, then think about how it's going to fit in with your regular wardrobe. What else would this go with? Where would you wear it? What do you own already that you could use instead? What gap in your wardrobe is this going to fill? Do you love it? 
All this only takes a few more minutes - well worth a small investment of your time. 
This is by no means an exhaustive list - what do you do in the change room? 
These photos were taken on the quiet in the change room at Target. I was hoping if anyone came knocking I could tell them "No, No, not acting suspiciously, I'm a Target Blogger!!" and all would be well.. all's well that ends well, right?