Steals & Deals

This time of the year has definitely proved to be the biggest test of my 12 months of more in terms of wanting to shop. My urge to buy things has peaked. At first I thought it was just because I hadn’t shopped for 3 months, but then it hit me – I’m a sucker for the sales!

The week before Black Friday the “steals and deals” start to pop up and the craziness continues until the New Year sales. These are the traps I have repeatedly fallen into over my years of shopping. YES, these amazing sales allow you to buy all sorts of products and services at a highly discounted rate – “this sweater was ONLY $10” – BUT did I really need another sweater? The answer is NO.

I’m not here to debate whether or not it’s better financially to buy something when it’s on sale, IF you’re buying something that you have always intended to buy, such as: protein powder; a pair of jeans you’ve had your eye on all year; a new parka to replace the one you own with a hole in it. Sure you purchase those few items but then your eye catches all of the other deals available.  You end up purchasing all of these extra goods simply because the sale seems too good to pass up.

During my ongoing purge, I have already given up ¾ of the sale items I purchased last winter, proving that I had fallen into the trap of over-buying due to the deals.

I can proudly say that the only purchases I have made during the 2019 sale season were items I had always intended to buy for Louis, my parents, and brother as Christmas gifts (I only gifted to my immediate family this year in addition to my donations). The only thing I purchased for myself was a wellness program called Macro Mindset, which falls into my category of experiences.

My 12 Months of More has once again shown me something about my old ways – and I am grateful to have learned about this behavior so that I can continue to alter my consumer habits.

Do you resonate with these same tendencies to over spend because you’re “saving money”?