Reminder : 5 ways to resist impulse buying during Black Friday sales

We’re typically inundated with the marketing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales at this time. If you’re resisting the urge to impulsively purchase what appeals to you as you pore through sales flyers, this is your reminder to enjoy the season without spending too much and 5 strategies to avoid making those purchases that may end up in the regret pile.

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1. Commit to a clear budget for purchases you absolutely need to make. If an impulse to buy pulls at you, remind yourself of your budget and stick to it. Even if you feel you have room in your budget to make the purchase, give yourself time to think about it and ask yourself if you’d rather put the extra toward your savings for something bigger, or go for the impulse purchase.
2. Challenge yourself to find a creative alternative to the purchase in your current belongings. A lot of us keep buying different versions of the same thing repeatedly. Figure out if you have something similar at home. If not, DIY something similar in a creative way or find a new way of using what you already have.
3. Find other ways to fill your cup with enjoyable things and the thrill of trying something new. Make plans with friends for a potluck, explore new areas in your neighborhood, borrow some books and movies from your library – find ways to get that pleasure of trying something new without the need to spend anything. Sometimes a fun activity can be more enjoyable than picking up something new at a store.
4. Look beyond the desire to purchase and address any sources of stress that are coming up for you. Ask yourself why you feel like buying something new. If it is because you’re stressed out, can you find ways to resolve the cause of the stress? Can you reach out to someone you had a disagreement with or address the particularly challenging problem? Any small action to directly alleviate the cause of stress can be much more helpful than buying that new thing.
5. Will the new thing truly make you feel better over time? Envision yourself using the new purchase. Is the new purchase something that would truly add value in your current every day life or are you dreaming about a situation that may or may not happen when you would possibly utilize the new purchase? If you think you’ll need the purchase for when you go somewhere or do something in the future, don’t give in to that thought process. Buy what you need when you need it and think of the service you’re doing for your future self. Life changes so quickly and you may actually need something specific in the future – save the money for that moment.

Are you typically tempted by the sales and marketing push at this time of the year?

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