I had to go to Staples for work a week ago, to buy the transparencies for my art project. That was easy to do, thus the easy button that says it over and over. I avoid shopping for work and use it as a last resort. I utilize my frugal “no retail’ shopping habits just as much at work as I do at home, although sometimes I have to make a purchase for work. I do this because I believe in it, but also because I don’t like the laborious task of filling out expense reports.
Buying stuff is easy. It’s easy to make a purchase and it’s even easy to return your purchases. I know people that just love to shop, so they buy a lot, then they return most of it. To me, that seems like a lot of work and wasted time. To others, it fills a need I suppose, taking care of the cravings to shop and the need for more new things. I’ve said this many times before, shopping is not a bad thing. New stuff isn’t bad either. The only bad part about it is when it becomes more than just buying what you need or trying to live above your means.
I’ve thought a lot lately of what it would look like to live on half of my salary. I would have to make a lot of changes, but it could be done. So why haven’t I made some of the changes? Do I need Uverse? 
Could I cut back on eating out? Honestly, there’s not a lot of fat to cut out of my expenses. I have no debt and I’m careful in spending. I try to look at any expense or purchase I have with the ‘that was good’ button rather than the ‘that was easy’ button. Easy is just that, not much thought required and usually no caring about the big picture. The good button requires a little bit of thought toward the final result of a purchase. Here’s a repost of some good ways to think about a purchase.
- Do your homework. Many manufacturers will make the main unit of something a loss leader in order to gain sales on the accessories. Xbox is a good example. The main unit is close to the manufacturers cost, yet the mark up on the games and accessories is exorbitant. Don’t forget, some accessories won’t work without other accessories. Do your homework and know what you’re buying.
- Price shop. Can you buy this item used? Can you find it on sale? If you wait a few weeks, could you get it cheaper? Don’t just look at the price either, look at the value. If you buy that pair of shoes, will they last a long time and will you be able to wear them more than twice a year?
- Shop with a purpose. Avoid the “I’m bored” shopping trips. If you need (I use that word loosely here) a new hat, go shopping for a hat. Use a list and only buy what’s on the list.
- Avoid impulse buys. If you see something you want, wait 24 hours, then go back and buy it. Chances are you’ll forget about it. Shopping without a cart works well too. Walk through the store, don’t pick up anything you like. Keep in mind all of the things you like and are considering for purchase. Then walk the store again to get the things you remember. You will be amazed at how many of them leave your mind. If something you really liked stuck in your head, then maybe that’s worth taking a second look.
- Think long-term. Picture this item now. Picture this item with your other stuff. Picture it in a month. In 6 months. In a year. Where will it be? How much will it have been used over a year’s time? The value word applies again here. If you buy a $10 item, but use it one or twice, that’s a bad value. If you spend $50 on an item and you use it until it falls apart, that’s a good value. Giving your purchases of any size a one minute thought process can keep you from buying things you won’t use.
- Be creative. MacGyver was greatness for this reason. Is there another way to get this item, modify something you already have or accomplish the task without buying something new? My kids 2+ year old lunch bags were falling apart. Broken zippers and holes were inevitable from the amount of use they’ve gotten. Instead of buying new ones, we have a few small size ‘green’ bags from the video store. Those are the new lunch bags. They’re easy to wash and no zippers to break.
- Share, trade or sell. Okay, so we did. We bought something we thought we would use, but didn’t. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, but why hang on to this stuff? Trade it. Sell it. If it’s something you still can’t part with because you still use it twice a year, share it with your friends. Trust me, they have stuff like this too. If we all share it, we can all buy less and own less. My kids share their video games with friends and they strategize on what to buy so they can share.
Shopping can be good. :)