Imagine Saving 100% Before Buying on Sale
I was walking home from a meeting when I was grabbed by a sign in the window: 40% off all wine. There was a sale at the gourmet grocery store, which meant that all of the items that I usually considered too expensive for my daily life were suddenly within reach. Including wine.
I paused outside the window for a few minutes, wondering if I should pick a few bottles. The discounts did not end there. I could get all kinds of ingredients that I wouldn’t normally buy, also with a 40% discount.
In the end, I talked myself out of the perfect snack night with one simple question: Would I rather save 40% on wine and cheese, or is it better to save 100% by not buying anything at all?
The imaginary math was simple: I need money in my wallet more than discounted products.
Of course, you won’t get what you’re looking at when you use this money-saving trick. But in fact, this is another advantage of the strategy – it prevents you from buying something for the sake of buying, and it prevents you from enjoying the discount.
By thinking 100% and not what is written on the label, I have saved my budget several times since that first day in front of the grocery store. When I, for example, was about to buy a discount fashion top in a boutique, I asked myself if I preferred the discount or all my money. I wanted money.
Have you ever looked through the sales section of the website to see if there is anything good? If you feel obligated to get something because it’s 60% off, thinking about 100% can give you time to reset before hitting the ‘place order’ button. “Would I rather save 60% on this product or 100% without buying anything?” may remind you that the item may be on sale because it is poorly made, or in an ugly color, or has a bad review. Or it may be similar to what you already have. Or, even with the discount, it could be more expensive than you planned to spend on this type of item.
Just because something is selling at a discount does not mean that you have to be a moth being sucked in by a discount light bulb. Because, after all, you control 100% of your wallet.