Resist the sales

My favorite time to shop of the year used to be in January and July. I always loved finding a good bargain. However, since I've started my living more with less journey, the act of purchasing items just for the sake of a good price actually made me feel guilty.

With Covid still on the rise and most of us with nowhere to go, I found myself wearing the same pieces of clothing over and over again. Don't tell my boss, but I've taken most of my video conference calls in a Walmart fleece jogging pant I bought on a whim a few years ago for barely 10 bucks that I basically live in 24 hours a day. So shopping uselessly wasn't even on the table.

That was me from March through October. Then the holiday spirits came around, and in the search for the perfect Christmas gifts this year, I stumbled upon great items that I just "had to have", either for myself or those I was shopping for. Needless to say, I bought some stuff that I otherwise would never even consider. My excuse, however, was that it was Christmas and I was feeling pretty generous.

Now that the holidays are over though, I'm still seeing amazing sales fly by and to be completely honest, they're hard to resist. A skirt at 15.99 down from 60 bucks seems like SUCH a steal right?

So, to bring myself back down to Earth, I've started to abide by these 5 steps:

1. Do I need it & what do I need it for?

2. Can I truly afford it? If yes - what would I rather spend that money on?

3. Is this an item and/or brand I want to support and would be willing to purchase from at full price?

4. Save it

5. Am I still itching to buy this? Or have I forgotten about it?

These are 3 rules I used to live by in order to fact check myself before splurging on random items that ended up collecting dust around the house.

For the first, I need to be able to clearly describe WHAT I will be using the item for. If I find myself struggling to find an answer, then it's obvious that I don't actually need it.

Second, if money is no issue where would I have spent this money on instead had I not stumbled upon this sale? Usually there's a more practical answer that pops up....like groceries.

Third, I'm now more and more conscious about which businesses I am supporting with my money. I want to make sure that the brand or product I am buying are inline with my personal moral compass & beliefs, environmental and otherwise.

Finally, if I'm able to have reasonable answers for the above, then I save the item in my wish list or basket and leave. If I'm still thinking about the product in the next couple of days, then I actually make the purchase.

This doesn't mean that I ONLY buy practical things. On the contrary, this helps me to vet that the item I am purchasing is driven by a true desire to buy THAT particular product versus being swayed into spending my money just because it's a good bargain.

Have you bought anything over the holidays that you're now questioning?

Or what are your tips and tricks to make sure you stay above the irresistible sales?