There are times when we would go shopping and buy impulsively, whether it be clothing, books, household items or electronics. We would bring home the item and put it down, hoping to use it some day, but somehow that day never comes, and the item just ends up sitting on the shelf, so to speak. This has happened with me mainly with secondhand items like clothing or household items. Lately I have been more selective and careful with what I buy, especially when I go to sales where it is easy to get hooked on buying stuff just because it is on sale. How often has this happened to you?
Yes! All of those impulse buys near the register always catch my eye. I wanted to buy a huge mug at TJ Maxx, when I already have tons of mugs at home. They get me all of the time! I try to stick to my budget and just get in and out, but there are so many cute things that I want!
I've bought things and put them away for future use, like "I'll buy this blender to use at my next apartment." and then I've used the item get ruined before I got a chance to use it. So I won't be doing that anymore. I've probably spent a small fortune on items for later that got ruined.
I've bought food that was bought in bulk that I didn't get around to using in time, but luckily what I'd bought in bulk was okay for my dogs to eat so I cooked it up for them instead of consuming it myself. On the whole though other things I don't tend to buy on impulse too often. I suppose I try to be restrained most of the time!
I usually buy household items on sale without even thinking if it is needed or not. But in fairness to me, I only buy household items which I think can be used someday if not soon. Particularly the kitchen items, we have can openers and bottle openers that are normally used. But I also buy lots of plastic containers to be used in case we go on a trip or the paper plates and plastic fork and spoons. One thing I cannot forget is when I bought a 4-set cauldrons that my husband said has no use. Fortunately, it is now being used once in a while... after 5 years in the storage.
Yes, but I always think I will use it! Like right now I am staring at a projector in my closest that you show images on your garage or something, and I don't even have a garage! I am not sure what I was thinking when I bought that, other than it was a good price. That is something that needs to go on ebay or a yard sale site. Also, I bought a clothes valet type thing for 2.00 at a yard sale, but in actuality, I think I really will use that some day!
When I was fresh out of university and had my first paying job, I went berserk with my purchases and bought a lot of books, a number of which have remained unopened to this day. I also bought several secondhand magazines and a large electronic keyboard to name a few. They ended up gathering dust in our living room. Like you guys, I've endeavored to be more financially practical and less impulsive for the sake of a brighter future. I only buy what I need these days. I'm glad that I've decided to be more ambitious in my career goals too. Otherwise, I would forever be floating in this sea of random and irresponsible spending.
I collect gadgets, so I tend to buy stuff that I don't need, so I have a lot of unused cellphones sitting in my home. I think that it's ok to buy them since you collect them, but buying clothes that you don't really use is not good in my opinion and should be disposed or sold if it's just lying around the house.
Very infrequently these days. I do not like to purchase a lot, just things that are very useful or necessary. It's hard to waste on a purchase with this approach.
I think we've all fallen into that trap at times. I try to be very careful to avoid overbuying now. Just because it's on sale, doesn't mean it's a bargain, if it never gets used. That's what I tell myself. Even if it is something you use regularly, you may not need to buy more of it. I used to have a bad habit of buying things like lotion when they were on sale. You can only use so much lotion! I like gadgets too, so I try to avoid those. I pick them up, but I end up putting them back after some thought. I don't really need most of the doodads that are on offer.
Yes, I have done this in the past. There is always a little bit of excitement when you see something in a shop that you think you could use, but then it turns out that it wasn't as good as you were expecting. I do find this a little bit annoying though because I am trying to save money at the moment - but I am definitely a lot better at this than I used to be, as I don't waste as much as I might have done in the past.
This has happened for me lots of times which is why I always debate for a long time before I buy an item and I find that whenever I don't, the time just ends up laying dormant and collecting dust. Even useful items sometimes get ignored like I bought a pair of earphones but didn't like them that much once I got to try them on and even though they still worked well I just eventually forgot about it because I didn't like using it that much. God thing it wasn't that expensive but it's still a waste regardless.
Yes and I do regret this. I did come across some money a few months back and then I found a Facebook page where plus size clothing are being sold. Some of them are pre-loved but mostly are new. Because I needed new clothing, I got carried away and bought and bought as much clothing as I could as long as I knew that they'd fit me. Then I realized what I've done and stopped. Now I have a lot of things in my closet that I'm not able to wear because some of the sizes just didn't fit.
I used to be really bad with this. I think I probably had too much money, a case of having a lot more money than sense. Now however, all that's changed! I mean, I love shopping, but I'm now more of a smart shopper than an impulse buyer. Having to watch the pennies and existing on a tight budget has a way of doing that to you LOL So if we don't need it, no matter how much I may want it, it doesn't get bought For the most part, I succeed in resisting all those impulse buys. I'm actually proud of how far I've come!
There is always the temptation to go overboard to acquire stuff because of bargains or deals without really considering the practicality of doing so. I may be urged to buy goods which would end up in storage and not be used, however, I usually try to assess whether or not the item would be fairly useful so as to not waste my money because of an attractive deal.
There were times when I wouldn't want to miss out on a great deal. If I saw something being sold at a ridiculously cheap price even if I didn't need it at that time, I would buy it and had a lot of things in my home which I never used. Since then I've changed a lot.A minimalist now. I only buy things I need, when I need them. So no, I never buy things I don't need anymore.
I don't do it often, because I have never really been able to afford the things that I need, much less the things that I do not need but want to purchase anyway. A few times though, I have purchased things I did not need. I bought this painting one time when I was in in a really good mood, and I have never hung it up. It is hidden behind a whole load of clutter.
Even when I'm making good money, I never buy stuff I don't use. Nonetheless, looking back, I regret my purchases because I could have used the money for something better. However, at the time, I wasn't aware of the fact. For instance, now I am into websites, so income made in the past could have funded a lot of interesting stuff. That would have been a massively better use of my cash.
No I've never done that before. As much as possible, I would like to stick the my grocery budget and list all the things that I need to buy before going to the grocery to prevent over-shopping or impulsive buying. However, I realized that it doesn't work that easily because whenever there's something that catch my attention and really liked it, I surely grab it and have it punched. But the good thing is that most of those items are food so I don't worry that I wasted money since it goes in our tummies
No. It never happened to me because I never buy anything on impulse. I always ponder everything that I want or need to buy and usually avoid unnecessary spending. I even feel a certain desire to buy (impossible not to feel sometimes), but I can reverse the situation before the money or credit card jumps out of my pocket.