Are You A Smart Shopper
Are you a smart shopper? Absolutely Organized’s Katherine Trezise was asked about her thoughts in regard to this question by Mikey Rox of WiseBread. The advice in the article titled, “10 Stupid Shopping Mistakes Even Smart People Make”.
Buying Something Just Because It’s on Sale
Even though I’m a personal finance expert, I’m still only human – and I’m guilty of falling prey to falling prices. There have been plenty of times that I’ve bought things just because they were on sale (hello, holiday decorations), and it’s a character flaw that I’m actively trying to correct.
I wonder if they have anonymous meetings for discount Christmas décor hoarders…
“Buying something solely because it is on sale is one of the best ways to waste your money,” says Sarah Giller Nelson of Less is More organizers. “Before you purchase something on sale, ask yourself if you would still buy it if it was full price. If the answer is no, then save your money for something to come along that you truly love.”
“I see this a lot with my more creative clients,” adds Katherine Trezise of Absolutely Organized. “They purchase storage containers, decorative items, and craft supplies simply because they like the way they look and therefore assume they could use them – somehow, someday,” she says. “I encourage my clients to wait to shop for something until they are ready to put it into use or give it away. Someday is not a day of the week.”
Mikey Rox discusses other shopping mistakes people often make such as
- forgetting to stack coupons at checkout;
- bypassing the refurbish rack;
- failing to leverage price matching;
- shopping like there’s wiggle room in your budget;
- not negotiating financing;
- ignoring the fine print of credit cards;
- making costly assumptions based on past experiences;
- letting “vacation brain” control your wallet; and
- not speaking up when you’ve been overcharged.
Hopefully Rox’s article will give you some handy, new pointers to use the next time you go shopping!
Jenny Power- Absolutely Organized
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