Everybody loves to go shopping and indulge in the pleasure of spending hard-earned money and swiping cards on items such as clothing and women’s shoes. It is so addicting that it is officially a medical condition. For some people, shopping is a de-stressing routine necessary to clean their systems from the debris of pressure and hassle while others just do it for the fun of owning timely luxury and necessity items around them.
It is never wrong to buy what you want for as long as you have the capability to do so. The bad thing though is when people start spending beyond their capacity to pay through credit cards. In the process, piles and piles of debt start to accrue and will eventually leave the person hanging. Soon enough, law suits are running after the person, and the anecdote ends in a tiny dark room called the cell. All of these happen because of the lack of knowledge on how to save money.
There are lots of stories like this that began in a carefree, luxurious life yet ended up with a lot of people in a disadvantageous position – both to the debtor and the lender. Certain ways of fighting overspending should have been effective if only they were applied. Self-control is of utmost importance as discipline always starts from within. To prevent landing on the same backdrop as the one mentioned, here are some ways to plan your shopping very well and save money for other expenditures.
1. Differentiate wants from needs. The former can wait while the latter cannot. A lot of people have financial problems due to their incapability to separate what is necessary from what they just drool about. Prioritizing is a key to successfully saving money.
2. Check your supplies. Ask your family on things they need. Look around the house before you rummage on your closet. Determine what things you can live without and start writing down indispensable things first. Again, by indispensable, it means realistically indispensable. You can count debt so doing that should not be a hard thing to do.
3. Check prices. The Internet is a great invention that you should take advantage of This is not for ordering a new pair of Prada or the latest generation of Pad but for checking up prices. Know what brand and store have the cheapest finds.
In case you are not certain of the quality, you can always search for reviews and ask around forums or friends. Google is just a click away. If you need to indulge on luxury goods once in a while, then do a price hunt too. Zappos, for instance, has tons of luxurious shoes to choose from Prices are also available for you to compare.
4. Set a limit. Fine, so you already organized your list and decided which are on the top. Unfortunately, you still have a limited budget to spend, and there is no chance of you winning the lottery anytime soon. Set a limit of what you can shell out Using a credit card if you are short of cash is not a bad thing if only you know when to stop. After all, cards are meant for those situations.
If you are not confident in yourself, then go to your bank or credit card company and ask them to set a credit limit, lower than what you currently have In times of emergency, you can always go back to them. The chance that you consider buying a new pair of True Religion jeans as an emergency is slim after all Eventually, you will realize that saving money is also saving yourself from a bad credit record and embarrassment.
