4 Smart Shopping Rules
If you have unlimited funds, then you don’t need to shop smartly. But that’s not the case for the vast majority of us. Shopping smartly can make the difference between having the things you want and having to do without; between getting into debt and staying solvent. While smart shopping requires a little more thought than shopping as if you’ve got all the money in the world, it’s easy.
The rules
- Don’t buy what you won’t use. It doesn’t matter how good a deal something is. What matters is whether you’ll use it. If you’re not sure, then don’t buy it.
- Be patient and watch the market to get discounts. The item of clothing you want right now that’s $100 will almost surely be on sale for a much lower price later if you wait and keep an eye on it. Keep watching even after you’ve bought the item – did it keep going down in price? Could you have saved more by waiting another couple of weeks? The more you practice this watchful patience, the better you’ll get at knowing when the price has dropped as far as it’s going to.
- Learn from mistakes. If you have a lot of junk around the house, that suggests you’ve bought a lot of things that ended up being less useful than you thought. Try to remember what you were thinking when you bought them, and remember that item the next time you have similar thoughts.
- Don’t assume discounts are the best deal. One store’s discount price might be another shop’s regular price. Don’t just visit one shop or one mall – go to a variety to see what’s available at which price.
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