Bargain Shopping Tenet #2: AVOID IMPULSE BUYING

Don't believe that nagging little voice that says, "If you want it . . . buy it now!" Or that other one that says, "I must have that now!" The truth is . . . you don't have to "have that now", and the true bargain shopper realizes this.

Remember what we said about patience a while ago? That same principle applies to impulse buying. If you wait for it, that wonderful item you've been pining after will come your way and will most likely be much more affordable than if you had gone with your impulse to buy it "now."

Avoiding impulse buying takes a lot of self-control—I realize this. But, it's really worth it in the end. There have been many times that I have made an impulse purchase, and lived to regret it. I usually see the item I wanted and purchased for a much lower price a few days, weeks, or months down the road and end up kicking myself. If I had only waited!

We often make these impulse purchases and justify paying more for the item we want, simply because we want it. If we could just curb our drive to "have it now", we would save ourselves, our budgets, and our sanity!

CHALLENGE: Go back through your last 30 days worth of purchase receipts/logs, and figure out how many of them were made on impulse. What you find out may surprise you!

In the end, impulse buying only satisfies our addiction to our own desires, and can carry with it a hefty price tag. Curb your appetite to "have it now", and save yourself the guilt and the cash!