sales don’t always equal saving money

I love a good sale.

I am sure that most people are with me in that sense. Being able to save money and getting a good deal on an item is a great feeling, but sales aren’t always as great as they seem.

It is currently the Sephora fall sale and I have been getting ads, emails, notifications, and probably a letter dropped off by a pigeon. I love Sephora and I can just pop down to the mall at lunch and be there in less than five minutes. And I am sure that I would find some things that I love and really want.

But shopping sales doesn’t mean that you are saving money if you don’t need to buy the item.

Sales can be so tempting, especially when you are inundated with flyers, emails, and notifications telling you that you need to buy this and that to fit in. Add that to the fact that I love a good deal and saving money, sales can be something I really want to use.

So I have tried to put in a few tips to make sales work for me and to use them, and not make them use me.

1. Keep a list on your phone: If there is an item or product that I really want to try or buy, I write it down. This means that if a sale comes around and it is still something I want in my life I can save the money.
2. Get rid of store emails: Unsubscribe from all of the store emails that come every single day. I have found that I am so much less tempted buy items if I don’t get those emails. Some I have gotten rid of completely and some let you choose to only get one email a month so I still get a bit of an update when I need to.
3. Consider the full price of the item: Is this something that you really want at all or do you just want a good deal? If it is something I am willing to pay full price for getting it on sale is a great idea as it is saving you money on something that you were going to buy anyways.
4. Don’t get suckered in by the items near the checkout: Those items aren’t just there because there wasn’t anywhere else to put them, they are there to get you to spend more than you were planning on. The items there may only be a few dollars, but if it isn’t something you really need, it adds up.
5. Don’t buy what you “might need”: How many things do we purchase that we want to use in the future and then they sit in the closet or basement gathering dust. If it isn’t something that you need right now and would use now, then don’t buy it for the possibilities.

Sales can be tempting, especially when you are wanting to save money, but if you don’t rush into things and think before you buy sales can actually save you money rather than cost it.