Tips for Reducing Impulse Purchases when Holiday Shopping
Many people love when the holiday shopping season officially begins because items are available that you cannot get the rest of the year. The other great thing about the holiday shopping season is all of the fabulous sales! The problem with all these great sales is the tendency some people have of impulse buying and consequently over-spending. If you are one of the many who has this problem during the holiday shopping season, then read on for somesuggestionson how to manage your gift shopping trips.
- Make a list. Shopaholics and impulse buyers should never go shopping without a handwritten list. The point to the list is to only buy what is on that piece of paper. Sit down, and figure out what gifts you need to get and for whom, and write it all down. Then go to the store(s) and get each item on the list and nothing else! Develop tunnel vision while going through the isles picking up the gifts, in other words, if it is not on the list it stays in the store.
- Shopping partner. Ask someone to go shopping with you. Please note that you will want to ask someone that will not encourage impulse purchases! If your shopping partner in crime is your best friend, then do not ask him/her to go with you because then you both will probably end up with a basket full of unnecessary items. Ask someone who does not actually enjoy shopping at all, even better: ask someone that hates shopping. If you shop with someone who dislikes even being in the store, then they will push you to get your shopping done so that they can leave that dreadful store! One more note here: have your shopping partner hold your money for you. The reason for this is because they can refuse to pay for anything that is not a necessary gift item.
- Online shopping. It is a little more difficult to impulse-buy online. People generally do a search for the item they want to buy, then buy it and they are done. The whole thing about impulse buys is that they usually happen while walking up and down the aisles of a store. It can be very tempting to throw extras in the shopping cart when you pass by them in the store. It is much harder to throw extras in the cart when shopping online because you do not actually see all of those extras.
- Have a fill in. What this means is to make a list of the gifts you need/want to buy for people and then ask someone you trust to do the shopping for you. This will keep you away from the stores and the temptation to impulse buy items. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking someone to help you!
- Set amount of money. When you get ready to go gift shopping, only take cash with you. Leave the credit cards, bank card and checkbook at home. You cannot spend more than you have this way. You cannot afford to impulse-buy if you only have enough cash to buy the needed gifts, unless of course, you want to be selfish and buy for yourself and not your loved ones. This might sound a bit harsh, but it is the cold hard truth.
It can very difficult to walk away from a good deal or some cute item you see when you turn the corner in the store. These items are strategically placed all over stores with the intention that people buy them on the spur of the moment. These neat/cute items can really add up by the time you reach the checkout stand. To avoid over-spending, make a plan and stick to it.
