How has 2020 been for you? If it ended well, congratulations, and here’s to hoping your 2021 is even better. If it ended on a bad note, pick yourself up and learn to be more careful in your future transactions. No matter how your year turned out, it can only get better if you start from a hopeful place.
One aspect of life where most people fail is their finances. If this is also your problem, it’s important to set a good start for 2021. These tips can help you with that:
Learn the Shop-Wait-Buy Technique
These days, it’s almost like sale season never ends. Every month, there’s something on sale that you never wanted when they were at their original price, but now they are tempting because you can easily afford them or use your credit card for payment. This is not a bad thing if they are useful items; if they are random trinkets, however, all the discounted purchases still add to a significant amount when you buy carelessly. To help you with this, learn to look around and scope a store to see the items you are drawn to–and walk away.
If you still want to buy them after coming back in a day or two, then go ahead and complete the purchase. This removes a lot of the impulsive purchases you would have bought if you didn’t walk away. Now, when you buy something, you know you truly want them, and that makes each purchase worth it.
Ask Yourself What Happened to Your Last Purchase
Maybe you’ve already bought a similar sweatshirt before, or have used a different skin toner you bought online. Some items earn a place in your life, while others just don’t. What’s interesting is that sometimes you’re still drawn to the same items even if you already tried something similar and have not seen much use for it. If you’re looking at over a dozen pairs of shoes unused, or multiple pairs of the same dark pants, you’re probably on a fruitless search for that one “perfect” item that will somehow magically improve your style. These multiple purchases don’t do anything for your wardrobe, but they are a huge blow to your finances.
Before you buy any item, remind yourself of what has happened when you tried that before. Think of how a beauty product worked on your skin before making another purchase. Remember how you looked when you bought an orange sweatshirt or a pair of bold shoes. If they have been used and have gotten you compliments, go ahead and buy a new pair. However, if they did not improve you, perhaps your money could be better spent elsewhere.
It’s all a matter of perspective, and this is most important during the new year. What you do at the start of the year sets the whole 2021 on a clear path. Make sure you are forging a path that will benefit your life and your goals, instead of ruining all your plans and making you feel like you have failed.
