Don’t let the holiday sales take advantage of you. -Take advantage of them.
Stores run special sales at Christmas time, this is not a new concept. The lower prices help them get more business in their doors and sell more product at a faster rate which increases revenue for them. You can take advantage of these sales too, to help you save money this holiday season and/or to stretch your dollar. There are things that we, as consumers, do in regard to the holiday sales that end up costing us money. We allow the sales to take advantage of us because of our weaknesses to spending/new things/giving/deals/exc..
Marketing is normal as it is ingrained into our society, this means you need to keep your wits about you this holiday season [and all year long, but especially during the holidays] when doing your shopping. Doing so will help you stay in control and take advantage of the sales this holiday season instead of being taken advantage of. Below are four ways sales can take advantage of you, read them to be proactive against marketing that costs you more money than it saves.
Don’t buy just because it’s on sale.
Just because something is half off doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. Knowing the cost of items (average regular price) will help you know the worth of an item. Lets say a new TV with the features you want costs $1000 at store X, $750 at store Y, and $800 at store Z. Then store X runs a sale on the TV for $200 off costing $800 (so you would save $200 at that store when purchasing it). Saving $200 seems great but only if you didn’t know that store Z always sells it for that price and that store Y has an even better price on the item.
Knowing the worth and cost of items will always help you save money. The more you know about an item the better you will understand what it is you really want and what a fair price for it is which in turn will help you determine what a good deal on the item is. Being an educated consumer is not only a smart choice it will also help you save money.
Don’t buy just because it is on sale and you want it (or think you want it). Make sure you can reasonable afford the item first. Ask yourself do you really need it? Often times we are only buying because it is on sale, make sure it is something you really want or need before buying it. You don’t want to let the deal take advantage of you or your hard earned money. So don’t let yourself be talked into buying something you don’t really need. That is one of the reasons we end up acquiring so much stuff.
You don’t have to buy items on sale.
Just because there are a million things on sale during the holiday season doesn’t mean you have to buy only sale items for your gift recipient’s. If you find an the right item in the right price range you don’t have to wait for a sale. If there is a sale that’s great but just because it isn’t on sale doesn’t mean you should wait to buy it or buy something else that is on sale. Don’t loose site of what a perfect present is, a perfect present is something the receiver wants, needs, or likes. The goal is to make them happy and to get them something they actually want. If you found a great deal on it that’s awesome if not that’s fine too. The important part is that it’s something they like.
Don’t spend twice as much because of savings.
The draw of getting a deal is that you save money so use the sale prices to actually save money. You don’t have to feel guilty for saving a little bit of money on gifts. Just because it wasn’t super expensive doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good gift. Again a perfect present is one the receive likes. You don’t really end up saving any money if you end up spending the full amount you set aside/budgeted anyways. Sometimes the savings come in helpful when you’re trying to get the most out of your Christmas budget but it isn’t always necessary to spend the whole budget to have a successful holiday.
You don’t need to buy more presents just to reach a set dollar amount. Lets say you were planning on spending $50 on your child for Christmas and you wanted to get them some new clothes. You end up finding a really great deal on a few shirts and pants which total $40. You do not need to feel obligated to find another $10 present just to reach the $50 limit. If you really want to you can but it isn’t necessary. The point is just because you came in under budget doesn’t mean you should spend more. You got a good deal and saved money, appreciate the work/luck that went into it and save the money for something else.
Let’s say you have a gift exchange that you are buying the gift for and the gift exchange has a dollar amount suggested, as many of them do. I believe as long as you are reasonably close to the set amount you are good to go. There is no need to worry about being a couple of dollars off. If you found a good/decent gift people will be happy. They won’t know you spent less. Use your best judgement and don’t focus solely on the dollar amount or you could pass up something good that people will like just because the cost wasn’t the exact amount.
Don’t stretch your credit for special card deals.
There are plenty of stores that offer discounts/savings for the use of their store cards. Often these sales are only or mostly for the initial sign up day. Signing up for a new card doesn’t always equal out to the ‘savings’ marketed, once it’s all said and done. For one thing you’ll have one more thing/card you need to manage and monitor. For another pretty much all cards have their own terms that you really should learn to avoid unknown costs. Both of those things take time, make sure you have the time for the extra hassle the card will create for you. Second whenever you take out a credit card it affects your credit score. (It all matters: the initial opening, the length of time the card is active, the debt/credit ratio on the card. All of that effects your credit score.) If you use your credit score often or have a large purchase coming up you might want to avoid store credit cards. So don’t sign up for new cards you don’t need just for a bonus.
Don’t spend extra just to reach a store amount that equals an extra deal. There are lots of stores that offer free gifts when you spend a certain amount. Spending the extra money, money you weren’t going to spend except to get that free item, usually isn’t worth it. When it’s just a few dollars you typically end up purchasing something overpriced you didn’t want/need just to get the free item that you probably didn’t need either. If there is something else you want it makes it more reasonable to try and reach that set amount but only if the ‘free gift’ is actually worth it. Is it something you will use? Is it something you actually want? Is it something you could give as a gift to someone else? Make sure it is actually worth the extra money it costs you. They want you to spend more money in their store, that’s why it isn’t free with every purchase it’s free with a high priced purchase. The free gifts are great if you don’t have to waste money or go over budget just to get them.
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You can stay ahead of marketing tricks that talk you into spending more than you planned if you stay true to your needs. Not all marketing is bad, you can easily take advantage of a sale prices and save money. You just have to be careful that you don’t spend more than you should, pay attention to your spending, as well as track your holiday spending. It’s easy to get caught up in the end of the year overspending frenzy. Just stay aware of your spending, limits/budget, and needs. Those things will help you stay on track and can help you to avoid being taken advantage of.
Finding a Happy Medium 