The following is a sponsored blog post:
Budget and finances are one of the scariest concepts you can think of when it comes to buying things, either if it’s a birthday or the holiday season. Believe it or not, with a bit of strategy, you can take care of all the expenses and not cut back on your guilty little pleasures.
You should keep in mind that there are a couple of questions that you should ask yourself before making a big purchase. And we did our best to sum up those questions and also find the answer to come to your aid.
Do I Have Enough Cash?
There’s no big surprise that this is the first question you should ask yourself before committing to a big purchase. And if you can afford to buy whatever you need without affecting your savings, then you should definitely go for it. In case the answer is “no”, then you should try to find a workaround like monthly-installments or buying the item second-hand.
Do you really need to buy that specific item?
The main focus should go on the word “need” in this particular case. Because you may want a lot of stuff but to be able to identify what is that you really need is the tricky part. Of course, objectivity is a very big issue and your brain may think that you need stuff that you really don’t. For example, if your car is very old and breaks-down all the time, you will need a new, better one but a bigger TV is not exactly a need.
Do you need that item now?
Timing is crucial in every aspect of our life. It’s not a big surprise that it applies to purchasing stuff as well. And it makes a lot of sense to be able to determine if you need to buy that thing right away or it could wait for the next salary or something. For example, if your vacuum cleaner breaks down and you don’t have the cash to replace it on the spot, you can just use a broom or borrow one from a friend. Waiting is usually the best idea rather than doing extreme things like playing pocket fruity bingo to increase your income.
Check if you can find that specific item on sale
If you already determined that you really need the item, you should also check the sale cycles. There are a lot of products that become very cheap during some seasons. For example, buying a lawnmower is way cheaper in the winter months rather than in spring. Same goes for a heater; you will be a lot more accessible during summer days than in the cold winter days.
There you go, these are just some aspects that should help you buy the stuff you need and not having to do double-shifts to cover up for the expenses. Of course, there will be times when you just can’t resist buying the most useless stuff, but that’s totally on you.
Good info and I generally agree. Regarding budgeting, if possible, it’s really not a bad idea to set aside money every month so that you can make a big purchase, if the purchase is something that can be anticipated or planned for. However, it’s easier said than done. I myself have a spending problem and should take some of the advice in this post to heart.
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Hi DP,
Exactly as you stated, “easier said than done.” We all try and anticipate future expenses but sometimes they just come out of nowhere even if you are a diligent saver and a good budgeter. I guess setting aside money can be prudent but for me I have a problem seeing cash sitting idle. While I don’t spend on frivolous items I’d rather invest that cash and have it generate a return immediately. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.