Impulse buying. Instant Gratification. Do you ever fall into these two categories?
What lures you into buying something? The look of it? The price? The desire to have it NOW?So often we think this “one thing” is going to make us happy, so we buy it, swipe our card, take it home, but even after taking it home, a little bit of that excitement is lost. That impulse buy suddenly doesn’t become as gratifying and all we end up doing, is adding more clutter to our homes and our lives.
Have you ever thought how long are you willing to wait to buy an item?
My husband and I recently bought a new furniture set. We were still using my husband’s sectional couch he had bought from a roommate for $40.00, now almost 8 years ago. Needless to say, it had seen better days – as in people had to grunt and basically roll off of it, in order to get up (I wish I was kidding…). We decided to shop the clearance section at a local furniture store and found exactly what we were looking for. Unfortunately, it took over 4 weeks for it to come in. We were starting to get a little frustrated, but what we realized was that after 4 weeks, if we were still happy with waiting for our purchase, that it was worth it. Now that we are sitting happily in our new furniture, we can safely say it was not an impulse buy.
How about you? Can you wait 24 hours, 1 week, or even 1 month?
There is a lot of power in waiting!
Think of the MONEY you could save, if you…
- Just walked away?
- Took 20 seconds to ask yourself if it is something you really need?
- Thought about what this purchase would do for you?
- Considered if it was fulfilling only in the here and now, versus later on that day?
- Decided how important this item really is?
- Pondered how this item would add to the clutter in your home?
I think about the dollar bins in stores like Target. Boy they are good lures, aren’t they? They even made a cute little aisle to walk through right by the carts. Granted, yes, you can find some items you may need. I think though, what they are doing, is right on target (no pun intended). They are getting you to look at some things that are cheap, cheap, cheap, but in reality, do you really need them? Many stores do this in their own way. These little items that add up so quickly and add to the clutter in our lives and the nook and crannys of our homes.
Don’t be lured by the deal and add clutter. Walk away and
WAIT.
Organize your desk, house, and office with style! Enter to win a
Smead Fashion Stadium File and
Smead’s SuperTab Fashion File Folders!
Truer words have never been spoken. If I had the dollars in a box instead of the junk that goes to the donation center, I think I would be much more aware of frivolous spending. It adds up quick.
I struggled with that too – knowing that I was donating so much – but really, donating hard earned money. But in reality, why hang on to "money" that we are never going to use? If someone else can use that "money" more than we can, it's well worth the donation. It has changed my perspective in buying though – much more frugal :). Thanks Michelle!