Whenever I feel really down, I would go shopping. Retail therapy
is one of my favourite ways to destress. The lure of the hunt.
For that something that catches your eye, priced unbelievably
low, or at such a huge discount. 70% discounts at stores often
turn normally lady like women into wild beasts. Everyone
grabbing for that last piece from a coveted designer must have,
priced at 70%, or even 90% the normal price.
It always works for me.. initially. As long as I can still make
ends meet after these binges. I just love the thrill of buying
things, and knowing that I got them at below the regular retail
prices.
Leave me alone in a mall for 10 minutes, even with 2 preschool
kids, I guarantee you. I’d be carrying bags of shopping, kids in
tow, when you get back.
There is the thrill of the hunt. Going to a sale, not knowing
what fantastic buy you might spot. Then you see it. That coveted
designer brand normally beyond your budget, suddenly priced low
enough for you to comfortably afford. You try it on. You love
the way it looks on you. You buy it. That sense of satisfaction
is indescribable. You move on to the next store. That high lasts
until you see your credit card bill.
Worse still, those outfits you buy may be worn once or not at
all, before you give them away.
It is something like going on an eating binge. You diet for ages
trying to lose weight. Then suddenly, you just throw caution to
the winds. You eat like a pig, gobbling down all the yummy,
calorie laden desserts, snacks and favourite foods you have
deprived yourself after so long.
Retail therapy, uncontrolled, can leave you broke. Especially
with easy access to credit cards, you can chalk up a major debt
if you are not careful.
Still, like calorie laden desserts, you can still indulge in
retail therapy and stay within your budget.
Like eating less or even skipping a meal after you binge at a
grand buffet, and eating less in the following days after it,
you can indulge in retail therapy, if you spend less in the days
after it.
There are things you have to buy anyway. Why not focus your
retail therapy on what you actually need.
Make a list of the things you actually need.
Do you need a brand new jacket for work, to create a better impression in
the board room? You could use your next retail therapy session
to hunt down that ideal jacket when you need that boost.
You could even have your retail therapy in your favourite
supermarket, buying the food you and your family actually need,
sourcing out the deals. Again, make a list of what you actually
need and stick to that list when you go shopping.
Or if you spot a gorgeous luxury item like a very expensive bag,
you might want to save up for months first before you actually
splurge on it. By the time you have saved enough money to buy
the bag, you might even have lost interest and could put the
money to better use.
The trick here is to spend only what you have. Credit cards give
you the illusion you have far more money to spend than you
actually have. Buy now pay later is a very dangerous way to
think. Many people have ended up bankrupt after that.
Yes, you could always use that card to pay for whatever you
want, and then pay the credit card bill in installments for the
next few months. Meanwhile, the credit card company gets to make
money off you in the interest charges which could be as high as
24% per annum (2% per month adds up to a lot in the long run).
Can’t pay the bill in full? Roll it over to the next month. Get
another card to pay off some the debt in the old card and more
spending power.
Before you know it, your debt is so high, you can’t imagine how
you could possibly clear away all that debt.
Personally, I am a webmaster with a sometimes uncontrollable
urge to splurge. I would usually buy something whenever I step
out of my home. Nowadays, I tell myself to hold off the
purchase. I can get a better deal on the web.
Retail therapy extends online too. Online stores can offer even
better deals than your usual retail store. The brick and motar
retails stores have to pay rent for all that shopping space.
Online stores have far less overheads and can afford to pass
their savings to us. Their customers.
Every now and then, online stores would have discounts of some
items, or short term promotions where you can save a substantial
amount of money off your order. Some stores even have coupons
which you enter into a box when you check out, for free shipping
or a certain percentage savings off your purchase. Take your
time to make use of these savings and get the most of your
online shopping experience. I love buying jewelry
online for gifts and I always do it online.
The best part about online stores is that you can take your time
to shop, without some pesky sales person trying to pressurize
you into buying something you really don’t need. Ok, some store
have pesky live help pop up windows, but you can always close
those windows so you can shop in peace
Janice Wee
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/do-you-indulge-in-retail-therapy-here-is-how-you-can-shop-without-going-broke-2975.html
Living in a capitalist society, we are born and breed consumers. Yet we are given very little insight on how to protect our money and still purchase the products we need. “Stop paying full price @ Amazon.com” will show you how to protect your own interests and save money on the products you buy at Amazon. It will also share with you THE SECRET to using this information to become completely debt free. 
Additional video’s, blogs, links and free resource downloads such as books and background @ http://www.managemyinterest.wordpress.com 
http://freecouponsfree.blogspot.com/
