We all have that friend who brags about how great of a deal they got on that TV, car, or bottle of whiskey. Frankly, I’ve probably been that person during a time of small talk. I attribute it to my Midwest upbringing. I don’t think it’s specific to the Midwest, but spend 15 minutes in a conversation in that part of the country and someone is guaranteed to spit the word “deal.” Being intentional about your spending and saving on the things you don’t need is a cornerstone of keeping your financial life together.

“Did you see that deal they have on Instapots on Amazon!?! I already had one, but I think this one is slightly better.” Let’s go over the math here. Your original Instapot was $100. This one is also $100, but originally it was $150. You bought the second Instapot because it was on sale and it seemed like it might be better. Realistically, you did not just save $50, you wasted $100.

Consumers are notoriously susceptible to this on Black Friday every year. 

“That new TV is $300 off!” 

“Did you see you can get the Kindle for $75?!”

“The deal on clothes at Banana Republic is SO good right now!”

I don’t want to sit here and harp, but some of us need a little reality. Figure out what you actually need. Buying shit on sale doesn’t save you money. You’re still spending money. I’m here to give you some tools to help you along the way. 

Write Down a List 

Get a damn pen and paper out and write down the things you truly need (or use a phone or a computer – pick your poison). This is going to be your accountability list. If you have the ability to wait for what you need, not only will you not be buying things you don’t, you’re likely to get a great deal on what you do. When you see the things on your list at a good price, go ahead and pull the trigger, cross that thing off your list. 

The goal here isn’t to be hard and fast so you feel like shopping isn’t fun anymore, but this is a tool to get you to at least think while shopping. Marketers understand the brain, they know how to trick us. I’m giving you this tool to combat their arsenal. 

48-Hour Rule

Here’s another simple thing that can temper your acute temptations. You see the thing you want to buy. Wait 2 days to pull the trigger. We, as humans, love gratification. In a 2020 world of notifications, viral posts, and instant communication, we’ve been programmed to be responsive 24/7 which trains your brain to crave instant gratification (even more dangerous). 

There is good news. You can train your brain away from this as well. The first time you try this, it will suck. As you do this a second time and a third time, it will become a natural part of your decision making process and benefit you in other areas of your life as well. You’ll find that the thing you thought you wanted wasn’t as important as you thought. Maybe you did wait the 48 hours and the thing is still something that’s front of mind, buy it. 

Unsubscribe

You might be an “Inbox Zero” person or you might be flooded with enough advertisements that your inbox looks like Las Vegas Boulevard. Even the tidiest of inboxes will get hit with the “40% off of your order today!” or “BOGO Only Tomorrow!” Do yourself a favor, unsubscribe from all of them. You really don’t need them. The purpose of these drip campaigns is to entice you to buy things that you don’t need. 

I literally went through an exercise where I spent a few weeks unsubscribing from every retail email that was coming through my inbox. For the retailers that you enjoy shopping with, you already know when they typically have their sales. If you miss one, I promise you there will be more. Banana Republic practically has a sale at least one day of the week every week. Never buy their shit for full price. 

Love It or Leave It

There’s a great saying that I love for most things, “If it’s not a fuck yes, it’s a no.” In the world of buying things, think of it as “Do I love it or like it?” When you’re contemplating the purchase of this thing, ask yourself that question. 

There are so many things out there that you really like. If you had all the things you “really like”, you would have too much shit, guaranteed. Only buy the things you love. Find an awesome shirt but it doesn’t quite fit right? Don’t buy it. Find an accessory that you kind of might wear for this one occasion. Don’t buy it. 

You’re going to look at that thing in a few weeks and just see clutter. Do yourself a favor by saving yourself some dollars and avoiding the extra noise.

Say you bought the thing, you get home and continue on your day. Later, you see the thing in your room, kitchen, living room, etc. and you’re like “I really don’t love it.” Take that shit back! 

Even if you used the tools above, we’re all going to get caught up into thinking we loved the thing, but we really didn’t (think of that shitty ex you thought was great). Take some action and go back to the store. Do this a few times and the momentum gained from this will not only help your wallet, but your morale will get a boost as well. 

Conclusion

Find a medium that works best for you and give it a shot. The goal is not to have you bury money in your backyard and not enjoy it. The goal is to curb the conditioning we’ve all grown up in to allocate your resources towards the things that matter most to you.