“But It Is On Sale!”: How To Avoid the Thrill Of The Bargain
So many people love getting things for a bargain. Here is a sample of facebook post I saw after the Christmas holidays, “I just bought 5 pairs of shoes for $60 how great!”. Too often people buy things because they are on sale and not because they really need them. I am sure we have all had this happen to us where we have been in the store to buy one new t-shirt only to find ourselves leaving with one of every color. Work hard on defining a need versus a want.
Here are five questions to ask yourself:
- Is it really that great?
- Do you really need this item?
- Is the best thing about the item the fact that it was a bargain or on sale?
- If the item was $200 would I still want to buy it? (Find a number that would define expensive for you. For some it may be $20, for others it may be $500. Insert that number whenever you want to make an unplanned purchase)
- Would I be willing to part with an item in my home to make room for this item?
I really want to help people get into the mindset of buying items with a purpose in mind. For example my 11 year old needs a new pair of shoes, he has holes in the top of the shoes and this is the one pair of shoes that he wears everyday. I will look for one pair of shoes that are on sale. I will not buy him 3 pairs of shoes. I will recycle the old pair of shoes when he gets his new pair.
When you go into a store and see something that is on sale that you did not plan on buying, ask yourself the above 5 questions. Work hard on determining a need versus a want and your budget will thank you. Another benefit is living with less clutter. Train yourself now and if you have children, help them with this concept as well.
To Joyful, Simplified Living,
MS. Simplicity
MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity. She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com . Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.
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