Purchasing Tip: Wait, Wait, Wait… It Is Gone…

Animal Print Snuggie Testing
Image by www.photosbyalyssa.com via Flickr

Have you ever bought something and really regretted it later? Maybe you remembered, only too late, that your credit card was already running a little thin? Or quite simply understood that raging hormones made you do it? (“I swear animal print is just so not me! It was PMS! I swear it was PMS!”) Yeah, well, been there, bought that. Whether you’re just not thinking clearly or undergoing severe hormonal imbalance, there is one little fool-proof strategy that will save you from impulse buying each and every time. Just wait 48 hours and see if you still want to/need to/have to buy this particular item.

Allow me to illuminate you with a brief lesson on impulse buying. When you buy something on impulse, it’s most likely something you don’t need, and you may even go home and find out you didn’t even really want it. And this type of shopping behavior may cause you to overspend hundreds of dollars, money that is totally wasted and could be put to better use. To effectively combat impulse buying you must first identify the types of situations that set off this impulse to buy:

  • Do you impulse buy when you’re pre-menstrual? (Believe me, I have seen this happen and it can get very ugly…Animal print is just the tip of the iceberg.)
  • Do you impulse buy when you’re given a very limited time frame, i.e. “buy within the next 5 minutes for 50% off”, or “today only” sales?
  • Do you impulse buy if it’s on sale, no matter what it is, but just because it’s on sale?
  • Do you impulse buy when you’re sad, depressed, gained a couple of pounds, hubby left you, or you’re simply bored and have nothing better to do?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, congratulations! You are the perfect candidate for the 48-hour wait strategy. Now, as to why you feel you need to shop when you’re depressed, well, better let a professional therapist handle that one. For now, you just need to identify what urges you to buy on impulse, and avoid making the same mistakes.

What To Do While You Wait 48 Hours (No, You Can’t Do More Shopping)

It is such a good idea, they made a money about waiting “48 Hours.”

This is the best time to compare prices. Check out other dealers, shops, or outlets and see if you can get a lower price. Think about the item and whether you really need it. Just wait 48 hours and see. The beauty of this strategy is that if you completely forget to do either of these things, then, you don’t need this particular item at all. So, let me leave you with these words of wisdom for the next time you’re out shopping.

Don’t just do something. Stand there (unlike the people below).