Do you ever wonder if you’re buying too many things on sale? I love to take advantage of sales by stocking up on items I will use later, but I sometimes worry that I get a little carried away. Am I spending money unnecessarily? Taking advantage of sales can quickly turn into an excuse to shop when you don’t need to.
Although I am certainly not the absolute authority on this topic, I think I’ve found a few guidelines that I try to consider when I am planning a purchase. These guidelines help me determine if I am buying something for the sake of buying it or if it really is a good purchase.
Do I have a use in mind? With staples like frozen chicken or pasta sauce, this might be a no-brainer. On the other hand, if I’m shopping at Joann’s, this can be a very important consideration. Am I buying that pad of scrapbook paper because it’s on sale and pretty? Then, I probably shouldn’t buy it. If I’m planning to use it to make Christmas cards this winter, though, purchasing that paper is a much better idea.
Does it have a shelf life? Buying something that you can’t use before it has expired is never a good idea, so I have to take into account how long it will last. Some things can be preserved for a long time so spoilage isn’t an issue. Others, though, must be used or consumed right away. I try not to buy anything that will go bad before I can use it.
Will I get my money’s worth from this purchase? Something that is on sale isn’t always a great buy. For instance, if I buy a sweater in a color that looks horrific on me, I probably won’t wear it. It won’t matter that I paid less than $10 for it because it will remain in the closet all the time. I have to remember that price isn’t the only consideration when I am making my purchasing decisions.
Related Posts Related Websites
- Are ETFs a Good Way to Create Secondary Streams of Income? ETFs, or Exchange Traded Funds, are all the rage in...
- Time to Apply Financial History Lessons On my drive in this morning, I heard a quote...
3 responses so far ↓
1 Dorine Tiller // Aug 17, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I hear you-what gets me is stocking up on holiday stuff after the holidays. Getting a good deal on Christmas decorations is great, but then I have to store them all year. And there’s the little matter of still lusting over new ornaments and decorations the next year. I really need to start thinking this through more carefully!
2 Erica Smith // Aug 18, 2009 at 9:14 am
Dear,
I want to make 1 guest post in your blog, if you permit me. The post contains 350 words above and totally unique as it is written by my content writers.
Please contact me at ericasmith568(at)gmail.com soon. Moreover, I will place your link in one of my finance sites.
regards,
Erica Smith
3 David-Your Finances 101 // Aug 18, 2009 at 10:37 pm
I think the big question you need to ask yourself to make this distinction is–”Do you really need it??” Not “Do you need it right now?” but the former.
This is a fine line, and its easy to go overboard, but as long as I get the right answer to that question, I think I am fine.
Leave a Comment