We’ve all been here: in a shop there is this hypnotizing assistant or a very confident buyer or a nagging child – and you take a thing from the shelf, pay for it and feel the happiness running through your veins.
By the time you arrive home, you don’t understand what was the reason you bought this nonsense, what should you do with this thing and how could you spend the hard earned cash on it. Find our tips to resist impulse purchases below and never make the mistake again:
• Limit yourself. Before going to supermarket, take the amount you usually spend there and just a little more. Leave your credit card at home. It’s easy: if you don’t have the money with you, you are not going to buy anything other than what your household really needs.
• Count in hours. Whenever you see a shiny gadget or a glowing T-shirt, divide its cost to your hourly salary rate. For example, 16 hours make two working days, are you sure you want to spend 1/10 of your working month just to pay for this?
• Have a 30-days list. As you encounter something you definitely need in your life, put it on a paper and mark the date. In a month look at that paper. Did you lack this product throughout this month? Would you use it regularly? Do you still feel the need in it? If you answer yes, the purchase is no longer impulse.
• Stay positive. It is proven that most impulse purchases are made when you are feeling sad or frustrated. Though shopping can raise your moods, it’s better not to buy yourself a few happy hours if on a budget.
There is nothing bad in indulging yourself with something sweet or shiny. Make positive surprises for yourself but keep their cost minimum. For big purchases, refer to the tips to resist impulse purchases given above.
