Not everyone will readily admit this, but spending money can often make us feel good. If you are one of the people that benefit from a bit of retail therapy occasionally, you will also be aware of the downside when you look at your bank account or you dread your next credit card statement arriving through your letterbox or inbox.
Clearly, this situation is not ideal, but there are a few ways in which you can mitigate the effects of your favorite pastime, but it does involve that one characteristic that seems to be in very short supply in this day and age—patience. Here are a few ways that a little bit of patience can save a lot of money, all without sacrificing getting what you want.
1. Count to ten (minutes)
Another point that we tend not to readily admit is that we are all very susceptible to advertising. It’s not just that companies have got better at it, they have also been able to target the people they think will buy from them. Not only do they do this, they can show it to you on the very same device that you will be using to pay. So, instead of a knee-jerk reaction to an advert, wait a while and see if you still want it after 10 minutes or half an hour.
The chances are you won’t want it then—but if you do, you can buy whatever it was sure in the knowledge that it wasn’t a frivolous impulse purchase. The other technique is to wait until you’ve seen the advert (or visited the website) for the third or fourth time—if you still want it after that, then you are probably as sure as you can be.
2. Know when to walk away (and come back later)
If you like to shop, then the chances are you have more than a passing acquaintance with a well-known auction site; and if you’ve ever narrowly missed out on a purchase to a last-minute bid, your knee-jerk reaction is to look for the same item elsewhere, probably paying more on a “Buy it now” than you normally would have done so you don’t feel like you’ve missed out.
If you can hold that urge back for a day or so, there is bound to be another auction coming up soon for the same item. Or, you might find sellers are more amenable to offers if you want to buy midweek rather than during the regular Sunday evening carnage.
3. Timing is everything
We all like the idea of having shiny and new items, especially if it’s a tech device or car. However, if you wait (usually just a couple of months or sometimes even weeks) until all of the hype has died down, deals can be done and used models can be picked up at huge discounts. This also applies to premium brands including phones that begin with an “I” and cars such as BMWs. For example, if you were to search online right now for used BMW Leeds (or wherever it is that you live), you could be pleasantly surprised by what’s on offer and the savings that can be made.
Final thoughts
Whether it’s that face cream they’ve been bombarding you with on Insta, that vintage bag on eBay, or that new 5 series that’s just appeared in the showroom, by showing a little patience, you can make some savings that can certainly build up over time. This can mean you still get your retail therapy, but it’s less of a shock when the bill comes in.
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