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Pondering on my picky philosophy
By Meg | December 29, 2007
So far this week, I’ve done a poor job of not spending. No, it’s not that I’m an impulsive buyer — not exactly. I make a mental list of what I want/need, I compare prices, I research reviews, I use coupon codes online, and I even sometimes use coupons in person. Part of me is a bit proud of my shopping “skills”. It’s easy to watch stories of impulsive shoppers on Oprah and think, “Thank goodness I’m not like that!” However, the result is still the same in one important respect: I spend money that I don’t have. You see, being so picky — perhaps one of my most frugal qualities — is often part of my downfall.
The pros and cons
I believe that being picky is usually helpful when you’re trying to save money. Experience has taught me that it’s best to buy right the first time to avoid having to replace items that are of low quality, that don’t do everything that I need, or that I’m just not 100% satisfied by. Of course, not everyone can afford to be picky about real necessities. However, real necessities make up a very small portion of what many people buy in developed nations, which is why I say that we can’t afford to NOT be picky.
The drawback, though, is that it can be hard to find exactly what I’m looking for, so when I do find whatever it is, I tend to rush to buy it even if it costs more than I was planning. Thanks to the internet, it’s very easy to spend hours looking for something specific, see how hard it is to find what I want, but then still find it. And while it’s great that I can read reviews and compare prices, it’s harder to not buy something if I feel like it’s a great deal.
Why I’m not giving up on picky
The jury is still out, but I think the “picky philosophy” is working for me overall. While I’m probably spending about the same or even more on things in the short term, I’m a lot happier with my recent purchases. I have credit card debt, but I look around and actually feel like I got something for my money — and it’s hard to find things that I would return if I could.
In contrast, I think about some things I bought before and think, “Why the heck did I pay money for that?” Often I would buy something just because it seemed neat or was part of a theme I was collecting (in case you’re wonder, over the years I’ve been obsessed with crystals, pandas, saxophones, foreign language books and everything purple). It’s no surprise then that most of the stuff that I give to charity was bought before decided consciously to be picky.
What I do need to work on
Of course, a few years from now I may be questioning this week’s purchases, so only time will tell. Hopefully I won’t still be paying off today’s purchases years from now, but being picky isn’t enough because I tend to get what I want one way or another. The solution sounds easy: I should just want less and be happy with what I have.
I haven’t quite mastered that technique, though. I keep feeling like I could do it — just as soon as we’re done redecorating the house the way we want, just as soon as I have a perfectly working wardrobe where I don’t feel like I have nothing to wear some days, just as soon as everything is perfect. On the one hand, I know that things will never be perfect. On the other, though, I at least feel like I’m headed in the right direction by being so picky.
In the meantime, I’m already thinking about what I want to buy at the medieval fair next month — and I’ve even started looking up prices online. However, I’m also thinking about what I shouldn’t buy there. In the end, I’ll probably spend a lot of money I don’t have and convince myself that I’m being frugal.
Tags: Priorities, Saving Money, Spending Money
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December 29th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Uh.. ditto on the being picky part.
I searched for the perfect hat. Thought I found it. Paid $25. Realized it sucked for ACTUAL winters, and had to go out and spend another $15 on an actual hat that had ear flaps (that I was dreading), but at least now my ears are warm…
December 29th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
LOL! That sounds like something I’d do — except that I’d be the one to buy a really warm but fabulous hat in the middle of summer.
December 29th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I also use pickiness as a frugality strategy! This is so much easier once you have everything you really need (work clothes, shoes, a winter coat, minimal cooking supplies, etc.)
Another strategy you can add is to not spend money you don’t have, no matter what. So if you find the perfect thing, if you don’t have the money, hold off on buying it. Take notes on where you found it, etc., of course.
Another strategy is to write down everything you’re looking for, with the current best price, and carry this around with you. (You may be shocked at how long or how short that list is!) You could prioritize things on the list. And whenever you’re at a store you’re not normally in, you can pull out this list to remind yourself of what you’re looking for.
Another strategy is to wait a certain amount of time, like three days, after finding the perfect thing before actually buying it. This gives you more time to fantasize about how great your life will be once you get this thing or to realize that you’re not as excited about it as you expected, or to think of cheaper ways to get it.
A combination of the last two strategies is to not buy anything unless it’s either a need or it’s on your list. You can always add things to your list, of course, but maybe something has to be on your list for a certain amount of time before buying it. Adding a new item to your list reminds you that by buying that you are sacrificing other things.
December 29th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Welcome Debbie and thanks for the tips! I think you’re right on target — especially on the first point.
December 29th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Picky means you’ll love it after the retail “rush” is gone and you’ve removed the tags :)
December 29th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
Exactly! Well said, Trendinista!
I hate the feeling of regret when I wear something or use something and realize that I should have returned it before it was too late. I still get it occasionally, but I’ve been doing a lot better.
I think my first step to pickiness was when I started really scrutinizing purchases before taking the tags off. I ended up taking a lot of things back. Nowadays, I still take a second and third look at everything at home, but I take back less because I’m pickier in the store.