What type of shopper are you? Do you like a good bargain and are awaiting big sales like Black Friday or Cyber Monday each year with eagerness? Or do you buy without much thinking about the cost of the item or the impact its physical addition will have to your space? Do you want to become a smart shopper?
Why Not To Be A Sale Shopper
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good bargain and I’m all about not wasting money. However, I think that “going crazy” during a sale oftentimes is not the smartest way to shop. There are 2 reasons for that:
1) You often spend MORE MONEY than you intended to in the beginning (that is, IF you thought of a limit).
2) You tend to buy TOO MANY things you don’t need.
Shopping Guidelines
Here are 3 shopping guidelines that can help you save both money and time. They will also assist you in avoiding stress and added clutter.
1) Think Before Buying On Impulse
If you see something you think you might want to buy, don’t do it but wait. Wait a few days and if you’re still thinking about the item after that time and you still want to have it, go ahead and buy (It’s a great indicator to find out if an item actually “sparks joy” for you.). If not, you know it would have been an impulse buy you might have regretted after a while.
2) Buy At Once
After considering no. 1 explained above, you should consider buying something at the time you want to have it. My point here is to not wait for a sale. Items you really, truly love might be gone by the time the next sale rolls around. And this can lead you to shop first- or third choice items (or multiples thereof) during a sale “to make up for” the item you actually wanted. Also think about that if the item “sparks joy”, you almost certainly are willing to pay full price.
3) Avoid Sale Browsing
Yes, it’s quite tempting to look through all the lowered prices in your favorite brick-and-mortar and online stores – especially after Thanksgiving when nearly every store has deals to offer in the United States. However, if you do that, you almost certainly will fall in the sale trap and spend money on too many things you don’t need. Instead, if you want to participate in the sale, think ahead and only look up the item(s) you were planning on buying anyway.
Staying Clutter-Free
I’m all for keeping your life clutter-free. This can only be achieved through mindful shopping habits since not adding new clutter is just as important as reducing existing clutter.
What is your philosophy when it comes to shopping? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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