You know I like lists, so follow my personal tips to avoid impulsive purchases:
One thing I learned from this pandemic was to stop shopping so early. It was something I did often, I liked to plan meeeeees in advance, but I realized that it’s not always good to do that.
I remember buying a bathing suit one day to go swimming. Then I left it in a drawer, I decided to do a dietary re-education and I lost 12kg and then that swimsuit I had bought, which was kept in the drawer, still with a tag, was useless.
It would be smarter of me to buy the swimsuit only after I’ve enrolled in school.
Apart from the other things I bought which in one way or another, ended up losing its meaning after waiting a few months to be used.
Now I’ve learned that it’s best to buy only when it’s time to use it.
I have a list called Shopping.
It is on this list that I put the cardigan I want to buy, which has been there for over 2 years, because I couldn’t find the color I want, the drill kit, among other things.
The good thing about having this list is that after a few months, I give up on buying most of the items that are there. In other words, it was not important, it would be an impulse purchase.
This drill kit, for example, has been on this list for at least 3 months, and I’m in no hurry to buy it. I’ve already researched it on the internet, but I prefer to choose it at the store. Doing so makes me have fewer regrets at the time of purchase.
Taking advantage of a sale is always great, if we can only buy what we will actually use. Now, buying just because it’s cheap, just for this reason alone, isn’t worth it.
I’ve been very emotional about sales, I thought I was missing out on great opportunities if I didn’t take advantage.
Today I prefer to buy something more expensive knowing that it is something I will use, than buying something cheaper without knowing if I will use it.
I remember that a few years ago, pantacourt pants (large and short pants, or long shorts, lol) became the trend.
It was very common to see several, several women wearing those baggy striped pants that went down to the shins.
The truth is that few people look good in that type of model, which shortens their legs.
But it was amazing how many people I saw on the street using it.
Instead of buying it because it’s in fashion, I think it’s better to buy it because it matches.
A few years ago, I bought an Omron brand digital thermometer because I know the brand well.
Only I forgot to research the product itself and not just trust the brand.
I only discovered that this particular model of thermometer was disposable when my daughter was burning with fever and the relatively new thermometer was out of battery.
If I had done this research before, I would have known this important detail.
There are periods when I decide to unsubscribe from all the stores (they find me even if I don’t register).
But at times, I get the impression that the more I unsubscribe, the more emails I get.
It’s a crazy thing.
So, I swing between phases where I go out and unsubscribe everything, with phases that I just ignore and take to the spam folder.
If there is a period in my life when I bought expensive makeup, it was just at the time when I followed YouTuber makeup reviews.
Watching these videos sparked my desire to experiment.
There were so many new products that I couldn’t even use them.
The product expired and I had to throw the product that was almost unused in the trash.
Once I stopped following them, my urge to consume completely ceased.
I limit the amount on 2 occasions.
1.) One to not spend too much,
2.) And another one to remember to spend more.
Example of situation for not spending too much: I usually shop at the supermarket. But sometimes I go to the market, especially when the supermarket’s fruit isn’t so good. And I’ve already noticed that if I take 100 reais to the fair, I spend 100 reais. If I take 80, I spend 80. And if I take 50, I spend 50. Then I assess the amount to be spent and I only take that money.
Example of situation to spend more: now in the pandemic, this can be disregarded, but in normal times, I like to stipulate amounts to spend on Uber, on tours, leisure. So, when the month goes by and I see that I spent little, I pay attention to spend more the following month, after all, money was made to spend too.
We can buy things for Price as well as Value. Both are right, as long as we know what we’re doing.
During this period when my daughters grow up fast (there are phases when the clothes last about 3 months) I am fully aware that I buy clothes for girls thinking about the price. I’m not going to buy branded clothes, I don’t think about durability, I don’t buy expensive clothes, because I know the clothes will evaporate.
Now, when I went to buy the mattress for the girls, I bought it with the value in mind, because I knew it was a durable good, important for establishing their good sleep.
These days I bought 2 blouses for myself, I bought it thinking about the price, as I just wanted a comfortable blouse to wear at home.
On the other hand, when I buy shoes, I buy them thinking about the value, because I don’t like wearing shoes that are hard or tight. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it needs to be quality.
Knowing how to recognize the difference between price and value at the time of purchase is very important, as it avoids buying important things thinking about the price, or buying useless things thinking about the value.
Many impulse purchases end up being made because of our emotional instability: sadness, anxiety, frustration, envy, insecurity, laziness, boredom, fear.
This correlation is overlooked by many people, but it’s worth assessing how well our emotional stability is doing.
