28 Sep Budget Shopping Tips that Are Really Making You Broke
We all like to think we’re savvy shoppers, but sometimes our money-saving ways are actually costing us money. From excessive discount shopping to signing up for store credits cards, these fashion habits are making you broke!
Below are a few budget shopping tips that are costing you major. Plus, how to avoid these pitfalls and really save.
Excessive Thrift Shopping
I’m a major thrifter {I wrote a book on thrift shopping!}, so naturally I had to start with a major problem I see with some thrift shoppers. They’re thriftaholics! We all love thrift store scores that cost just a few bucks, but when you’re making multiple thrift shopping trips in a week and spending $20 here, $30 there, it starts to add up. And when you’re buying that much, are you really wearing the pieces or just hoarding? It’s always better for your wallet and closet to buy clothes and accessories you love, will wear and that elevate your style, instead of just buying every cheap chic item that catches your eye. Check out this post on How Not to Waste Money with Excessive Thrift Shopping.
{Always} Buying Cheap
There’s nothing wrong with heading to your local Forever 21, H&M or Charlotte Russe. However, if your entire wardrobe consists of fast fashion everything, that’s money down the drain. Yes, you’re saving money at the moment, but these pieces don’t last and you’ll end up buying the same items over and over or with a closet full of trends. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti the occasional fast fashion, but some garments are worth paying a bit more for {a $150 classic trench you can wear for the next 10+ years} instead of buying the same piece over and over {a trendy $40 trench you have to replace after two or three years}.
Shopping all of the Sales
There’s something about the word “sale” or seeing those big sale signs that make people automatically rethink their buying decisions and open up their wallets. Sales are awesome, but before buying, determine if it’s really a sale. It’s not really a deal if you overspend or buy something you never really wanted to begin with!
[bctt tweet=”You think you’re saving cash, but these 5 shopping habits are costing you! “]
Saying Yes to Store Credit Cards
We’ve all had this happen: you head to the register at your local department store and before they even ring you up, you’re offered a store credit card. And tons of people say yes because they want that 10 percent off of the day’s purchase! Again, deals are great, but at what cost? Store credit cards typically have a higher interest rate {20 percent and up!}. If you start racking up charges, it can take you a minute to pay it off and the interest rates will make whatever you purchased cost much more than if you bought it with cash. Check out 5 Things to Know Before Signing Up for a Store Credit Card.
Emotional Online Shopping
You should never really shop when you’re emotional, but this especially rings true with online shopping. There’s just something so gratifying about adding items to your virtual cart with the click of a button, but it starts to get real when you reach checkout. Can you show a bit of restraint and remove some items from your cart or do you just overspend and wait for the packages to magically arrive? Sometimes you just don’t feel the weight of your purchases when it’s virtual. Literally, you don’t feel the “weight” and how heavy your purchases are compared to shopping in store and lugging your clothes around in your hand. Always take inventory of your virtual cart and think twice before hitting that checkout button.
[bctt tweet=”Budget Shopping Tips that Are Really Making You Broke”]
Do you have any money saving ways that have actually cost you money? What tips do you use to avoid overspending?
No Comments