Uy Mare! Akala ko ba mag-iipon ka na? Bakit nag add to cart ka na naman? Anyway, I just used that line to get your attention.
Have you ever experienced being financially broke, wondered where your money went and regretted some of your purchases? If yes, I totally understand you. I am writing this article as a guide to being a smart shopper so all of us can start saving our money.
Sometimes we splurged our money too much for being an impulsive shoppers. Should we feel guilty? It depends. Some items are worth it and there are items that are purely just a waste of money.
Definition: Impulsive buying is the tendency of a customer to buy goods and services without planning in advance. When a customer takes such buying decisions at the spur of the moment, it is usually triggered by emotions and feelings. ... Marketers try to tap this behavior of customers to boost sales.
Source: Google
When the word spending comes into your mind, what are your initial thoughts about it? For me, it's spending money over my wants and needs. Some purchases can help me stabilize my mental health and there are also for mainly aesthetic reasons.
Shopping is also an investment. Don't feel guilty if you spend money on cute stuff that does not actually have a use. Remember this, Invest in yourself. If these things can help you keep mentally healthy, then buy it. What matters the most is that you chose yourself.
Let's cut to the chase and start telling you my tips for being a smart shopper.
Ask yourself questions!
Is this worth the purchase?
Am I going to wear this in different occasions?
When will I be able to wear this considering the current situation I am in?
Am I going to have a return on investment?
Is this sustainable?
These are the questions that I usually ask myself when I go on a shopping spree or just casually going to the malls and finding items that are on sale. I too can be an impulsive shopper sometimes but due to the course of time, I've improved and learned to spend my money wisely.
Is this worth the purchase?
This is the most commonly asked question when shopping. For example, you stumbled upon an item that offers a great deal, would you automatically splurge your money to it? Assess yourself. Do you really need it? Does it serve a relevant use? Just by asking these questions, we are saving every penny that we have. We shouldn't buy items just because it's on sale. Because the tendency is that it is just going to be stored in the storage and not put into use.
Am I going to wear this on different occasions?
Purchase versatile clothes because I guarantee you that it saves a lot of money. Versatile means you can use it many different ways or you can create a lot of looks that you can wear on many occasions. Polo would be the perfect example of versatile clothing. You can wear it on a beach trip, events, and even dates with a special someone. You can pair it with almost everything! The only tip here is you just have to learn to mix and match your clothes. This applies to both men and women.
When will I be able to wear this considering the current situation I am in?
This hits different especially in the current situation that we are in. Nowadays, we are limited to going outside of our homes and our clothes aren't put into use--- the most commonly used clothes today are the ones we wear at home. The ones that we wear when we stroll outside are just stored in our cabinets for months due to this epidemic. Now, would you consider buying clothes in this time of pandemic when we are limited to go out? Because for me, if it's really necessary to buy then you should. I know most of us here gained fats and some of our clothes do not fit us anymore. We should learn to prioritize our needs over our wants because we could spend our money on other things such as paying for our water bills and stocking food in the pantry.
Am I going to have a return on investment?
This has a wide range of the spectrum. From clothes, jewelry, gadgets, real estate, and etcetera. These all have one thing in common--- investment.
Have you heard the line, "Na-R.O.I ko na yan" or "I need to use this because wala pang R.O.I"? Well, this is about the things that we use daily. Just like a laptop, it is common to have this because of online class and work from home. We don't really get some profit from this but, the good thing is, we can use it for our studies, and work. Just the amount of time that we used it, it already served its purpose and we already achieved its return of investment.
Investing is one of the practical ways of making use of our money because we get something from it. Assets can depreciate and increase in their value. We just have to learn when is the time to let go of it or in other words, wait for its peak season where the value can increase.
Is this sustainable?
Society has a big impact on us. One of them is the existence of fast fashion. We all have this attitude where we want to buy a piece of clothing because it's a trend and we don't want to get left behind. Shein, Taytay Tiangge, and other e-commerce sites offer a wide variety of cheap trendy clothes. Fast fashion isn't sustainable at all. Most people don't wear their clothes anymore once it's not on the trend and they'll just buy the new trendy ones. What I am trying to say here is that it is best to purchase sustainable clothes because it is beneficial for the environment. I also understand that sustainable clothing is not for everyone because it is expensive and not everyone is privilege enough to afford it.
One sustainable brand is Levi's. Why? Because it uses less water in its products and their clothing can be worn so many times. Compared to cheap clothes, the quality of Levi's' product is superb that it lasts for few years. The main point here is that you can save lots of money if you buy quality products over fast fashion.
Final thoughts...
Saving money should not hinder you for taking care of yourself. For instance, going to Jollibee 3 times a week should not hurt your savings that much. If its beneficial to your mental health, then go for it. You should also invest in yourself. Losing mental stability is much worse than spending a couple of bucks for Jollibee.
Thank you for reading this. And as I always say, keep safe an healthy!
XOXO
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I just received my parcel and I feel guilty slightly lol! I bought something online so that I can use it mostly for jogging but also since it's getting cold now, we need something to warm us up. Most of the things I buy now are things we need.