Huh, What Sale? 5 Reminders Before Adding to Cart

It’s almost that time of the month again! If you are an avid online shopper, then you’re among those holding on to their phones as they await the clock striking at midnight – 11.11! I know, it’s crazy! Ever since the pandemic forced most of us to stay cooped up in our homes, there has been a large increase in the number of new digital consumers. I mean, who can blame them? As if one can resist the discount, cashback and free shipping vouchers that online shopping sites offer. And besides, sales are always a good deal, right?

Well, it isn’t. Of course, we won’t immediately notice it. But if anything, sales, mostly, only make us impulsively buy things that we don’t really need. And who’s to say that I’m the only one with mountains of parcels, and oceans of unused stuff laying around? Surely, there are a lot of us that have fallen into the pit of desire dubbed as ‘sale’.

One might quip, “Then simply stop buying stuff!” However, the answer isn’t always that easy. Some are addicted to shopping, while some find happiness and fulfillment in their material consumption. Simply put, the habit of unconscious buying, especially during sales, is not easy to handle. However, it is not entirely impossible.

1. Avoid the temptation.

If you’re aware that you have the tendency to impulse buy, and you feel you want to stop, then don’t give yourself the opportunity to do so. Stop browsing on online shops, and better yet, uninstall the application you use for online shopping. Doing so might be the first step to stop you from your unnecessary purchases.

If you ever have to make a necessary purchase, then plan what you have to buy, and when you will buy it. This way, you are setting yourself to succeed by being proactive as you are actually reinforcing your buying habits.

2. Remember that a good deal is not always a good deal.

I know how tempting most online store’s retail tactics are, especially during the grand sales. It is during those times that we would often, and mindlessly at that, click on the items. Before we realize, we are ready to check out, reasoning that it is on sale, anyway.

If we keep on thinking like this, then we’ll fail to realize that instead of saving money, we’re actually splurging. And what’s worse is we’re doing so on the non-essentials, on stuff that we most likely won’t even need. Of course they are only doing their jobs, but it is our job to decide where to spend our money.

So remember, a good sale will only be a good sale if you spend your money meaningfully.

3. Keep in mind the 24-hour pause.

Often, we tend to shop based on our immediate reaction to an item. Sometimes we just think that it looks nice, or we’d look cute in it, or that it’s on sale anyway. But if we keep on giving in to this urge to spend, we’ll end up acquiring more than what we need.

If you feel like you really have to have it, then simply add it to your favorite list and leave it there for at least a day. If a day passes and you still want or need it, then you can always look for it on your favorites. At least, now, you don’t have the guilt of buying because of impulse!

4. Set a budget.

While you can stop yourself from spending throughout countless sales, it won’t hurt to allocate a fund for when repressing the urge to buy overwhelms you.

Stopping yourself from buying during sales doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to deprive yourself of your needs. You are only a person, after all. So set a budget for splurges. It doesn’t have to be a huge sum, just enough enough for the occasional urge.

5. Only buy what you have room for.

Sometimes, the best way to make a purchase is to simply ask yourself if you have a room to store it in. Suppose you found a nice-looking side table, and a bonus, it’s on a great deal! Problem is, you don’t really have enough floor space to put it in. You buy it anyway because you thought that one day, you’ll have room for it.

I’ll tell you what: months or years could pass and still, you won’t have room for it. Before purchasing an item, ask yourself where you would put it. If you can’t think of where, either you have to declutter first, if not, then probably, it’s best to not purchase it.

I know it is hard to not get lost in endless sale offerings, and equally as hard to buy stuff you don’t need. And that’s totally understandable – that’s human.

Sometimes, you might choose to pamper yourself with all these sales, and sometimes you might not, and that’s okay. It’s fine as long as you are making a conscious decision – one that you won’t regret doing.