Another Pair of Shoes
Posted by Gail | Filed under Saving, Smart Shopper
You’re walking through the mall when you come upon the perfect pair of peekaboo red patent leather shoes. They are gorgeous. Your heart swells, your eyes widen. You’ve been looking for a pair of shoes just like these for ages; ever since the last time you walked away from a similar pair, you’ve been owned by the desire to have these shoes.
Hold on now? Do you need the shoes?
Need, who cares about need… you WANT those shoes.
And so out comes your credit card and $260 later your savings just got tapped by the Impulse Monkey.
You get home, you look at your new red shoes and you want to kick yourself for not having the good sense to walk away. You’re trying to save for a house, and that’s $260 you didn’t have to spend. Blast it to hell! Where was your self-control?
If you think you might be an impulse shopper, the first step to controlling it is monitoring your urges. It’ll only take a couple of weeks of thoughtful note-taking to give you a good insight on how and why you shop.
Get yourself a small notebook, keep it handy, and every time you get an urge to shop, practical or not, write it down. Note where you were, what you wanted to buy or did buy, and how you felt. Note every time the Impulse Monkey squawks at a prize, whether it grabs you online, at a store, or when you’re flipping through a flyer. No matter how often that Impulse Monkey chatters in your ear, make a note of it.
Whether you buy the item or not, keep track of the Monkey. Many times our urges are subconscious and we can’t control our spending if we aren’t aware of it.
Once you’ve determined that you have a problem, you’ll then be able to take steps to get the Impulse Monkey off your back.
June 5, 2012 at 8:10 am
The notebook is my friend! I have a notebook that I tote with me everywhere and I track to-do lists, keep the grocery list updated, and keep a running list of upcoming purchases. These are things I plan for but don’t always need and therefore can shop around for the best price, selection, etc. Shoes would be a good example!
I also use the notebook to jot down something I see that I think I want and usually I have to do some research on it or think about it.
I don’t track how I feel, etc in terms of the impulse, but it does help me remember where the item is if I decide to make the purchase or it lets me “cool off” and decide if I really want it after all.
The impulse monkey is a tricky little devil! But I always remind myself most items can be returned and there are many times once the shopping high has worn off that I decide I don’t really need an item or it doesn’t meet my needs and back it goes.
June 5, 2012 at 8:38 am
My impulse monkey screams at me for tasty treats (cakes, ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, etc).
I do my best to simply avoid walking by (or into) stores or shops that cater to those desires.
It’s always the little things that get me – $260 for a pair of shoes isn’t something I would spend easily because that isn’t what I would value. $5.50 for a medium gelato or frozen yogurt, while expensive for two scoops of tastiness, is something I would consider with much more ease, especially since the rule at home is I can only buy 1 container of ice cream, popsicles, or frozen yogurt a month. Anything more than that, I have to be willing to spend the extra because I devour sweets far too easily.
Food is hard as an impulse money, because it’s so easy to say “well it’s food. Of course I need food. I’m turning into a ravished anger driven hulk because I haven’t eaten in 12 hours and a cupcake is RIGHT THERE. Why walk past a cupcake?” Or you know, something along those lines. Food is of course a need, but I am working on training myself with the reminder that although food is necessary, junk food doesn’t count as real food (I often fail at that one!) and is in fact not a “Need”.
June 5, 2012 at 9:21 am
I avoid the malls altogether and when I do need to buy something, I go directly to the store instead of the malls
Other times I just leave my plastics at home and only bring cash, there is no way I end up buying a pair of shoes for $260.
Also what works for me is constantly comparing what I WANT to buy with what I already have at home and how much I use the stuff I already have (not a lot), I have pairs of shoes in boxes looking brand new….
Thanks Gail !
June 5, 2012 at 9:46 am
I bought sandals last night, but I have been trying to replace my current ones for 2 years now. Plants are the impulse buys for me. Lots of plants, ohhhh bluuuueee, look at the pink flower…and the purple….I have a blank spot in the border there. My heart races at the sight of a beautiful flower. My daughter picked a fabulous bouquet of peonies for our table and bathroom last night, it is money well spent. It feeds my soul.
June 5, 2012 at 10:16 am
Oh yes, Emma, I’m hearing you.
A couple of weeks ago I did a mental calculation of how much I’d spent on junk food that fortnight. Scary stuff. All from money I had, but I would not be able to say for sure I could stop it if I didn’t have the money.
In all other areas I am very good with impulse buying. Gotta keep working on that one…
June 5, 2012 at 10:50 am
Shoes are the only real temptation for me. When I put away my summer shoes and sandals last fall I counted for the first time and found I had twenty six pairs. I vowed I’d add no more this year and so far I’ve managed to keep my promise to myself. I was in NYC last week and saw some turquoise sandals that I really wanted but thank goodness the store was very crowded, and I didn’t want to waste time waiting for service, so no shoes and no other impulse purchases.
June 5, 2012 at 11:03 am
The best thing you can do is clean out your closet. I was amazed at all the nice shoes, clothes scarfs I “found” just by culling out the stuff I wasn’t wearing. I’m trying to move towards a minimalist lifestyle so I’ve been working through my closets.
June 5, 2012 at 11:23 am
I have a nice closet and my honey has one too. We have a system of moving things down to from new to old to tossing/rags/donating-> so if we need/want to buy something->something has to go-> once a hanger is free/ shoe box ect.. than we can choose to replace it or wait for a few more spots to free up or put it on the gift list!!!
June 5, 2012 at 12:00 pm
I impulse buy… and then compulsively return
haha
June 5, 2012 at 1:07 pm
I have become sooo much better at impulse shopping since we started using the jars. Having the cash right in hand makes everything very obvious. If I don’t hold $260 in my hands then I don’t spend $260. Not that I have ever spent that amount on a single pair of shoes.
June 5, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Is it bad that I would love to impulse buy on shoes? But I have such horrible feet, it’s a very planned expense – specialty shoe store, specialty sizes etc.
My impulse control is definately tested at the yarn/fabric stores!
I try and justify it to myself by saying that I can make gifts. But it doesn’t work out to be less expensive when you knit with bamboo yarn for the baby instead of just buying a bunch of onesies! I’m currently trying to work through my existing stash. Can’t add new fabric until there is room on the shelf…
June 5, 2012 at 3:15 pm
I’ve just spent some money on upgrading my closet with a classic coat and a dress and a couple of pairs of shoes. Spending when i have debtt makes me feel guilty but i do have to clothe myself.
June 5, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I guess it depends how often one gives in to the impulse monkey…
I bought a pair of shoes 2 summers ago, on impulse, for over $120, which is more than I usually would spend on shoes. I loved them every time I put them on; they were so comfortable. I wore them all the time, until my puppy chewed them up. I would happily replace them, even on my limited budget, except they can’t be found anymore.
I didn’t feel guilty about the purchase as I just worked a little extra to pay for it.
I don’t shop a lot, which makes it much easier not to be tempted by things that end up being regrets later, but sometimes an impulse purchase isn’t a terrible thing.
June 5, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Great blog for the season. My impluse purchase is purses, not high high end brand. My high end is GUESS, too scared to go any higher than GUESS. I try to avoid looking at purses if I do it is a quick glance then walk away. So hard, they look soooo good.
June 5, 2012 at 10:59 pm
My hubby is the spender. Less so than most people, but the other day he wanted to buy a new pair of pants to match a new sport coat he bought for a wedding. He wanted to rush out to the store right then. I told him to look in his closet. Sure enough, he had a pair already.
Be it junk food, shoes, or plants – everyone has something they’d be happy to splurge on on a regular basis. It’s just important to keep tabs on yourself. I find that I don’t even waste the energy returning items – I leave the store and if I really want the item I will think about it and come back for it.
So many stores and restaurants are built around impulse spending or poor planning. I used to think a 4 dollar egg salad sandwich was a good deal, until I thought about it. For around the same price, I can make a loaf’s worth of egg salad sandwiches. The 2 dollars on coffee everyday adds up too.
Lots of people will make excuses for “small indulgences” – but I’d rather just be debt-free…
June 12, 2012 at 2:35 pm
In our house, the rule is if you bring something new into the house, you have to take something out, either to the garbage or charity. That often stops us because we don’t want to give up what we already have. And I really am tired of all the stuff we accumulate. Stuff, stuff, stuff. Why do we need all this stuff?