Tactical Mistake: Why you can't save and it isn't just your fault
Posted By: Matt in Frugality on 12/02/2016 at 13:35:27
Have you ever seen a slick television commercial or online ad and felt as though you were missing out on something really great, a product or service perhaps· How about that glossy magazine or newspaper ad (yes, they still exist), one that makes you feel like whatever is in print is a must have·
Everyone has answered affirmatively to those questions as far as buying something and not so much wondering why but more about how this product or service was suddenly so important that you ended up spending money that you could have been saving.
The key to spending money is quite simple: save it instead.
That is much easier said than done when you have savvy, sophisticated retailers doing everything in their power to entice you to spend your money, even if you realize that what is being offered really isn't worth it.
Retailers aren't above making you believe that what you want is the same as a need, even though we know inherently that the latter is more about shelter, food, water and transportation just to name a few and that latest and greatest wardrobe or that fine dining restaurant wouldn't fall in that same realm.
Now, that isn't to say that some online promotional codes or coupons aren't without their merit, along with the subsequent action as well in the form of spending. If you're starting a brand new job and need clothes that look the part, you'd be hard pressed not to be interested in free shipping or saving $50 when you spend and buy $125 worth of clothing.
That makes sense because at that very moment those clothes are a need.
What retailers do, however, is with their words and photos create this illusion that you can't live without this product and if you don't buy it soon, for example, you may never see it again or be offered it again at this amazing low price (think infomercials more than anything else).
Restaurants, for instance, will offer discounts on meals but for a "limited time" only, suggesting that buying and spending is a now or never proposition.
Smart consumers realize that those same tactics, while impressive and enticing, are just that: smoke and mirrors mostly. They are just giving you the feeling that you have to own this, that and the other, when in actuality it would be nice but not necessary.
Saving money comes at the expense of not spending when you don't need to, and those sitting on an impressive emergency fund know that they've passed on a few so called big deals to make one with themselves: to save money first and foremost.
Comments
No comments yet. Future commenting has been disabled.
Sections
Budget (33)Credit (31)
Currency (22)
Economics (86)
Frugality (74)
Loans (42)
Politics (18)
Saving (37)
Taxes (42)
Related:
Using Violation: Saving money starts with buying usedCutting Bored: When in doubt, cut expense to save
Hot to Trot: How to save on all things as Summer ends
Easy Does It: Why saving money doesn't have to be a struggle
Buying new makes saving money much harder
