I recently heard this term and went on a deep dive into it then I noticed it this morning while checking my emails and fell victim to it this afternoon while making a purchase. I knew what was going on but I wanted to “treat myself” for Mother’s Day with a special discount. It’s everywhere and I know I can’t be the only one that wants to limit its’ reach into my daily life. So let’s take a look at what spaving is, how it can negatively affect impact our homes, our wallets, and our lives…
“Buy one, get one”, “limited time only”, “almost out of stock”, “spend $XYZ and get free shipping”, you get the idea. Researchers have spent decades tracking our habits and now with social media’s algorithm, items that might appeal directly to us pop up on our screens multiple times a day. We give away our email addresses for a discount and then are bombarded with marketing messages via texts and emails. Companies that we buy from, either online or in-store mail catalogs with discount codes and “special offers”.
How does this negatively impact us? This can lead to excess spending, we’re adding items to “save money” but we’ve actually spent more and possibly on things we didn’t intend to buy. There’s impulse buying, some of which I just touched on in my last sentence. I went into a store this afternoon for some foundation and glycolic peels, oh, there’s a 20% discount on body care and candles. Did I go in for body care? No! Did I impulse buy some body care, yes. I see this with clients, inefficient use of resources. Sometimes we keep items that aren’t serving us or are no longer useful because they were purchased at a discount which can lead to excessive clutter and waste. We see overstocking and stockpiling, by buying more at a discount, there might not be adequate space to store these items, leading to clutter or waste because the items can’t be used in a reasonable amount of time.
How can you prevent all of the above? Here are a few tips:
Sleep on it; If you feel like you’re impulse buying, give yourself some time to think about it
Delete shopping apps from your phone, unsubscribe to emails and text messages from stores
Create barriers to buying: delete your credit/debit card numbers from automation on your phone, laptop, and sites you’ve purchased from in the past
I think the most important takeaway is to become aware of the constant marketing ploys that we’re subjected to, try to be mindful with spending, and try to align our spending habits with our values and goals for our lives. Hope this is enlightening, interesting, or both. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Xoxo
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