Shop smartly with these 9 – Money Saving  Ideas during the holiday season

The holiday season is around the corner. In India, it has already started. Holiday season is an automatic extension to shop, new purchases. Apart from all this, one very important thing is keeping a check on our spending. Keeping control of how much we should spend and deciding where we should spend is very important.  These days most of us pay with credit cards so we don’t see our money going out. We swipe the card, collect the bill and come home. Later when we check our account statements, we realize that our spending has gone beyond our budget. In today’s world, we have many options for shopping such as online, in a mall or door-to-door sale. Many of us are guilty of buying things that we don’t want, don’t need, or won’t use.

So, how to be a smart buyer and how to keep your spending under control?

 

 

• Make a budget: Budget allows us to stay on track. There shouldn’t be an exact amount but at least an idea about how much we have to spend rather how much we can spend. If we have no idea or thoughts about our existing budget status and future budget then it is very easy to go out of the lines. Everything you buy comes at a cost. So, know your limits. 

 

• Make a shopping list: Before you step out to shop, make a list of everything you plan on buying. This will help you in staying on task i.e. not buying anything unless it is on your list.

 

• Look for deals: Usually, stores start stocking up festival items one month before. You don’t have to jump into shopping right away. If you prefer to shop online then get deals on your favorite brands by checking their sites frequently. Wait for the deals. But when you get one, it is not compulsory that you have to buy it. Why? Please read the next point.

 

• Difference between need and want: Before deciding to make a purchase, we should understand the difference between need and want. We shouldn’t buy just because there is a deal on that particular item. It happens mostly in kitchen gadgets. We all have many appliances but still we feel, we are missing out on one more.:) Our kitchen counter will look complete if we buy that particular appliance that is shown on the TV. So, before you place an order think do you need it?

 

• Don’t go overboard: During the festival season, all stores are filled with new stock. Colors, festive mood, decoration, and smell of newness. All this is so over-whelming and inviting. And it is easy to get carried away. But we have to make sure that we don’t go overboard and should stick to our list.

 

• Will you be at a loss if you don’t buy it: Will buying the item improve your quality of life or save you significant amounts of time or money in the future? Never shop for or buy something that won’t have a positive impact on at least part of your life.

 

• What will be its future usage: Will you use it in the future? Buying something that you will be using it just once or twice is not a smart decision.

 

• Give yourself some time: Now, this is something tough isn’t it? Especially, when you have a picture of it in your mind and have made up your mind to buy it. But take a pause, give yourself some time. Ask yourself what is the motivation behind this purchase? Is it because you really need it or because you saw it at your friend’s place and you liked it and then convinced yourself that you also want it? If you think this purchase is not necessarily to be done immediately then wait.

 

• Save Your Receipts: Removing the tags and trashing the receipts – That’s the first thing most of us do. Right? For clothing we remove the tags. We try it out and then put it on the shelf. But what if you find a better deal or a better style later? You don’t want to have two similar tops. If you have the receipts and tags intact then it is easy to return it.

 

It’s very easy to spend money and hard to control the urge to buy. But it’s not impossible. Impulsive buying may give us temporary happiness and pleasure but in the long-run, if it is going to give us a bag of worries and money related concerns then let’s not go that way. I hope you will like these ideas to shop smartly during the holiday season.