Whether it's out of necessity or impulse, at some time, we all have fallen into the trap of pushy sales people, bright colors, technical jargon and what ever else marketing minds come up with to get you to buy their product over their competitors.
So before buying anything, you need to arm yourself with knowledge that helps you make an informed decision.
Listed below are elements you need to consider before parting with your hard-earned cash.
Above all, do you actually need or just want the item? Defeat this giant and all the other issues fall like dominoes.
Not addressing this question will cause you to fall prey to trying to keep up with the Joneses and buying with their wallet rather than your own.
Meaning.
If they can afford to buy it, then you have to get it in order to not lose ground with their efforts.
Marketers use this tactic heavily.
Ask yourself the question, "Can I repair my existing item or am I even using the item that much anyway.
Nothing is better at bringing more attention to an otherwise rarely used product than your neighbor getting a new one of them.
The cure to this dilemma is brutal honesty.
Can I really afford it? A savvy sales person would come back with, "You can't afford not to get it.
" You need to start realizing there are more costs to an item than the sticker price.
For instance, some items are configured on the sales floor so as to show it in its greatest glory.
Now that you're sold on it, the truth comes out that in order to get the full affect, you have to purchase this gizmo or that amplifier.
Adding another component to your existing line up could cause the failure of another due to electrical overload.
Now you have to replace that.
This new gadget may use electrical energy or battery power at a rate that has you spending more to feed its hunger.
The life span of the item could be short, getting you hooked on it, thereby, constantly replacing the product just to enjoy its benefits.
In order to keep working, the product may need to be updated periodically.
This hole could go on forever.
Am I using this item to substitute for some other deep seated need? You've probably gotten taken in by flashy, fast talking commercials promising this or that, and everyone with this in their possession is overjoyed with happiness and contentment.
You buy it, get it home and apparently yours is busted, because you aren't experiencing any of those exciting adjectives.
You need to ask yourself why do you want this.
What's the underlying pull of this product that has me gravitating to it? This level of openness may reveal you only want to get the object of your attention to notice you and you can come up other ways without using finances.
Just tacking these three question alone will put you in the seat of authority, sparing you the need to even go into the big box retail stores and be tempted beyond your ability to resist.