Say No to Impulsive Buying and a List of Impulsive Buys to Avoid

Do you consider yourself an impulsive buyer? Is it soda, clothing, accessories, footwear or any other item? Market research studies suggest that almost 35-45 percent spending by consumers happens on impulse. In addition, more than 85 percent customers buy on impulse. They think they are going to get better deals and are unable to keep away from visiting any sale.

The advertisements on television and on the internet are a culprit too. They tend to lure the customers into buying on impulse. From weight loss diet plans to cruise vacations, exercise DVDs to beauty products, we buy many things impulsively and regret later. Here is a list of few impulsive buys that you may want to avoid in future!

Fitness or Exercise Equipment

Switch on any television channel and you will surely come across an advertisement that asks you to buy exercise equipment. It shows bodybuilding hunk with six-pack abs. They claim that you can get muscles and six-pack abs in a few weeks. Studies show that most households in America usually spend more than a $100 per year on such sporting goods and exercise equipment. Most of them do not use these devices after the purchase. Hence, if you have no plans of using such fitness products or equipment, it is best that you control the impulse on buying them. You may end up losing more money than your body weight if you give in to such impulsive buying of fitness equipment.

Buying Movie DVDs

We do buy movies and DVDs impulsively. This is common among teenagers and college students. However, adults and seniors hardly watch same DVDs repeatedly. Instead, you can watch more movies if you use DVD rental or rental website services like Netflix or Roku. Moreover, it is easy to find and stream free movies online. Today, you can find plenty of classics and movies online. All these are free and do not cost you a penny. Try doing that instead of impulsively buying music discs and movie discs.

Unwanted Grocery Items

This is a common problem in many households. We go for grocery shopping and end up buying many unwanted items. These include fruit juices, new spices, salad dressings, dips, and more. These items look good on the counter but hardly used after you purchase them. Hence, make a list for grocery shopping and stick to it. Do not buy a spice box or a juice just because it is on sale.

Clothing and Accessories

Women love clothes, shoes, handbags and other small or big cute items. This can be a very difficult thing to control. However, you can control your unnecessary shopping sprees. Promise not to indulge in shopping for clothes more than once in two or three months. Keep saving a small amount every week and spend only that much when you go shopping. If you cannot control your impulsive shopping tendencies, avoid going to many sales and outlet malls every month.

Pets for Sale

It is also common to buy a pet on an impulse and regret it later. Cute puppies, kits, birds and other pets seem like perfect companions. However, if you have a very busy lifestyle and work schedule, buying a pet may not be a very good idea. If you do not have someone to take care of your pet in your absence, you may end up abandoning the pet after some time. Instead of being so cruel, you have better alternatives. Become a pet volunteer. You can find out about the local pet volunteering organizations. Here, you can spend a day with the animals and participate in some interesting activities too.

Other impulsive buys include fast foods, magazine subscriptions and booking vacations. People actually spend a considerable amount of money in subscribing to magazines that they never read. Likewise, before booking a cruise vacation or buying a holiday destination discount, stop and think for a few minutes. Will you actually use it or not? Instead of buying them at the spur of the moment, save the links and use them when you really plan to go on a vacation. All these are some instances that make you spend a lot of money on an impulse. Remember, it is your hard earned money and you may want to use it more responsibly so that you enjoy the result.