Here’s our top tips on how to stay savvy and save money when shopping in the Easter sales
We bring some top tips so that you aren't splashing out on items you don't need
HOW often do you splash out on items you don’t need and can’t afford?
Five years ago, impulse shopper Tara Button decided to live by “mindful curation”, only buying items that made her feel fulfilled.
Here, CLAIRE DUNWELL shares Tara’s tips from her book, A Life Less Throwaway, on how to stay savvy and save money when shopping.
MAKE A PLAN
Most of us spend more time shopping than socialising, and the average woman will spend more than four years of her life buying.
Always have a list when you go shopping.
Don’t stray from it or add to it while you are browsing.
If you are tempted by something off-list, take a picture of it and consider it out of the bewitching shopping environment.
Make an un-wish list. Process it properly by taking the time to think about it and write it down.
Send it to yourself as an e-mail so it is backed up and set a reminder in your calendar to review it every few months to see if you have stuck to it and if there is anything you want to add.
BE PATIENT
Set yourself a rule that for any purchase over a certain amount you have to wait 24 hours to “authorise it” to yourself.
Do not buy it until the next day. This should leave you enough time to raise any objections in your mind, and it helps break the addictive cycle of impulse shopping.
If you can delay your purchase for a week, do that instead. At the very least walk around the block before making the purchase.
RESIST IMPULSES
Identify the times and places where you get tempted. Is the superstore your downfall? Is Amazon your doom?
Go through your bank statements and see where you are spending your money.
Pay particular attention if any of the entries give you a twinge of regret or guilt. It may not be the shopping you are addicted to, but the beauty of the store.
Feed these needs in more positive ways, such as arranging to see friends at times you usually go shopping. Write down what triggered your last five impulse buys. Disrupting your habit trigger even just a little bit can do the trick.
STICK TO A LIST
Half of purchases are made on impulse.
The longer you stay in a store, the more you will spend, so shops and shopping centres are designed to make it as hard to leave and tempting to stay as possible.
Ikea turns its stores into mazes so it is almost impossible not to end up with a trolley load of fairy lights, plant pots and storage solutions.
Make a list and stick to it. A big trolley makes you buy more because it doesn’t look full. So use a smaller one or a basket.
RESIST TRICKS
Shops use “visual merchandising” to sell us a vision, tell us a story and steer us towards the things they want us to impulse buy.
The most common story is simply: “I’m a cool, confident, attractive person.” This is what the body language of shop mannequins has been designed to express.
Particular scents put us in a relaxed, excited or happy mood, which rubs off on the objects we see, making us feel we like them more than we really do.
Music lifts our mood, making us more likely to spend. Slower music makes us slow down as we walk around the aisles and classical music can even make us buy more expensive items.
DODGE DISCOUNTS
Loyalty schemes can be advantageous, but they come at a price.
We can end up giving away more information than we realise, including what we might be tempted into buying in the future.
Use the “Would I still need it if it was full price?” rule when shopping with coupons or a discount.
At the end of the day, stores have these schemes to make you spend more.
SAVVY SALES SHOPPING
You are only truly saving money in the sales if you are buying something you would have bought anyway.
Some stores hike up their prices one week to slash them in a sale the next.
Also, putting a mid-range item next to one that is expensive can make it look quite reasonable.
Price-check everything online before you buy to see the best deal and if the discounts are as good as the store claims.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
STAFF PATTER
Have you ever felt you should buy something because the sales staff might think you are a time-waster? You should never feel that you have to buy something to justify your presence in a shop.
You could be stuck with an object you do not want, a big hole in your bank account and a little crack in your self-esteem.
Feel good about saying no, firmly and kindly. If they persist, walk away. Have a last-resort plan of escape ready, such as needing to talk it through with your partner/friend/cat.
- (Harper Thorsons, £12.99) is out now.