Everyone knows the dangers of impulse buying. You can easily acquire things you don’t really need at prices you really shouldn’t have spent.
The antidote to impulse buying is patience. If there is an item that you really do need, comparison shopping online and in stores can be a great help. There are so many tools and apps available now that can help you do just that.
One t
hing that is very helpful is to know cycles of when things go on sale. For instance, Christmas cards and decorations are sold at deep discounts after Christmas. It is easy to find out when something else is scheduled for discounted prices as well.
If you shop specific stores, you can get very familiar with not only their sale cycles, but the fact that they send their loyal customers great coupons to use. It is wise to sign up for mail notifications from every place you frequently shop. My husband and I look forward to discount coupons from our favorite supply stores since we are doing a lot of construction work. I watch out for the $5 off $15, $4 off $20 coupons from the drug store and dollar store I frequent the most. That is when I go in to stock up on toiletries, etc. I recently purchased an expensive item for our medicine cabinet for next to nothing because I waited – I had several drug store coupons I could use at once. That $24 item and a can of tomato soup cost me $.48!
When shopping online, I have noticed that if I get as far as the checkout and decide against the purchase, that I get an email offering me an even deeper discount if I go back and complete the purchase. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t complete the purchase, but it lets me know that it is a common practice for online shopping.
Plates I got for free at the close of an “antique alley” sale. I didn’t pass them up!
The only exception to impulse buying is when you see something you want or need at a yard sale or a thrift store. The one-of-a-kind thing you had been looking for may well disappear if you wait. At those prices, it is better to snap them up when you see them.
Stretch Your Money 