Thinking about buying something, planning to buy it, allocating the some money or savings for that purchase doesn't necessarily mean that you need the item/product, etc which you want to buy. A number of people when they get to that point when they must hand over the money start thinking . . . do they badly need that item/product? Can they do without it? What should one do if they are in such a situation? Buy what they planned? Best thing to do when doubts assail you is this — don't buy what you planned to immediately. Go home or get off the site if you were buying from an online store. If after one week you believe you need the item you wanted to buy then go ahead and buy it. How do you guys deal with this sort of stuff?
One could argue that most things we purchase are wants rather than needs. So aside from food, super basic clothing, etc. I do give things a waiting period. A week is a pretty good barometer, usually. I won’t lie though, I’ve still got plenty of wants that are on my mind even a month after I see them… like a beautiful white trench coat I spotted about a month ago. But I live in the tropics. I don’t need a dang trench coat, no matter how beautiful it is. I won’t even need one for traveling since I’m not planning to do it during the cold season. So if it’s useful in theory but completely impractical in reality, I’m pretty good about letting it go as well.
I think that it is very important that you think about whether you need things before you buy them, because if you buy things that you don't need then you're wasting money that you could have spent on something else instead. I know that I always apply the "24 hour rule" when I'm shopping, which is to take a look at an item, and then if I still think I want it after 24 hours, I go back for it. A lot of the time, I don't bother, which shows that money would have been wasted if I'd bought it at the time.
I tend to buy things immediately when I want it and if I can afford it and I know that that practice won't help me with saving money. You are right though and we should always think twice before buying something that we don't really need so that we can save money.
I always ask myself whether or not I really need something before buying it. Usually I ask myself that question first while writing out my shopping list. Then, at the store before I check out I scan my cart to see if there are any items that I can take out. I usually ask myself, 'When do I plan on using this?' If I do not have a particular instance in mind for using something, it usually comes out of the cart.
Whenever things pop up I make sure to plan for a budget and stick to it. It is very hard to ignore the impulse to buy things I don't need. At the same time it's hard to ignore when I'm broke! So I have to ask myself do I want to be broke for no reason or do I put back the item I don't need? Lately I have been very good at this so I hope I keep it up.
I always ask myself that, it always ends up me needing it haha. All the stuff I say I need, people would not think of it as a need. But to me they are needs. It's like a MUST have for me. But of course some things I do not need right away, and I can wait on getting it. But other things I want like right away, especially that limited type of stuff. I hate to miss out on limited things. The feeling is not great when you miss out on limited stuff...
Like most I'm also on a budget, so I do think before buying. I always do without things I really don't need and just want. It helps when you stay on budget and on list. I experimented and I always get more when I don't have a list to go shopping with, so I always get a list to bring with me to shop. I tend to impulse buy too, so a list is very good restraint that saves me money to get what I need right now. I always try to get things on sale too and save money with the sale items.
I started minimizing a few years ago. I HATE clutter and I don't like owning a lot of pointless things just because I like them or grew some weird attachment to them. I'm all about the important things in life now, I don't need "things" to make me happy.. because they never will. They just sit there looking pretty or add to my closet etc. So when I buy something now, I do feel I need them and if it's not an absolute necessity, I've gone long enough without and it's caused enough of a problem without that I can justify the cost.
Fortunately not being an impulse buyer by any stretch of the imagination and someone who does only buy items that are actually needed - as well as only replace items when its absolutely necessary - meaning whether it be clothes, cars, electrical appliances or whatever - they are only ever replaced when they are no longer doing the job they were originally designed to do or in the case of appliances or cars - are beginning to cost a lot in repairs. Instead of having to question whether I need the item - I'm way more inclined to stop and think - do I actually like what I'm planning to buy - as I've learnt over the years - that unless I instantly like (100%) whatever it is that I'm planning buy - there isn't much point in doing so - as the item however much it is needed - will only get used until I've found something that I do like as soon as I see it.
I always ask this, especially when the item I'm about to buy is an expensive one. I find myself asking this the most when it comes to smartphone purchases because often I'm just enticed by the design and I don't really care much about the performance so I make sure I am thinking soundly whenever I feel like I want to buy one since the price is usually kind of high. For luxury items like this one I tend to just hold off until later one because I know the prices will eventually drop down anyway and there's not much sense in me hurrying to buy one when I have a lot of other things I should be prioritizing to purchase.
Yes, I ask this literally all of the time!!! But whether or not I actually go with the conclusion of that question is a different story lol. I am not suppose to be eating processed foods right now. But I have had a few slips here and there, and when I ask myself whether or not I actually need what I am about to purchase or not, the answer is usually no.
When we are in the mall particularly in a department store, the thread's title is the responsibility of my husband. He is my devil's advocate who would always ask me if I needed the clothes I am looking at or fitting in. With other things like household items, he would always tell me that we can have it next year. So when I have decided to buy something big like an appliance or furniture, I talk with my husband at home and when he approves, there, no argument.
I don't have my own place at the moment. I still live with my parents, so I don't look for household items or anything like that. But I am pretty sure that when I have my own place, I will be asking myself this question over and over again when it comes to household items and decor items.
