پادکست شماره 3 - Bad Shopping Habits
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PACT Radio Accountant 3 - Bad Shopping Habits
Radio Accountant is back with episode #3 coming to you from PACT, the Professional Accountants Center for Training.
This is Roy.
K: And this is Kash.
Nowruz holidays are coming up and the streets are bustling with people doing all kinds of shopping for the Persian New Year.
K: Yeah, people spend tons of money on clothes, shoes, furniture, you name it.
In today’s episode we are going to talk to you about a bad shopping habit. Kash, what are your shopping habits like? Do you have any bad shopping habits?
K: Bad habits like what?
Have you ever heard of “impulse buying”?
K: No, what is it?
An impulse buying is an unplanned decision to buy a product or service. This is the result of an impulse or desire.
Giving in to impulse buying is not only hard on your wallet in the short term, but the habit prevents you from developing good financial practices in the long term.
K: So basically it means buying something without a plan especially something you have no need for, right?
That’s right. So to help everybody with this problem, here are a few tips to avoid buying on an impulse:
Here are five tips for you:
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Shop with a list.
Whether you’re shopping for groceries, holiday gifts, or clothes, have a list of what you really need to buy and challenge yourself to stick to it.
You’ll always find something you didn’t know you wanted, whether it’s chocolate or designer shoes on sale. Using a list as your shopping plan keeps you focused so you’re less likely to become distracted by anything that’s not on the list.
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Use a waiting period rule.
Create a rule that before buying anything expensive that you’ll give yourself time to think about it. It could range from an hour to a month. But the longer you can wait the better.
A good rule of thumb is to give yourself at least 24 hours to decide if buying something is a need, or just a random impulse purchase, by “sleeping on it.” That allows enough time for your impulse to settle down so you can make purchase with a clear mind if you really do need it.
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Unsubscribe from sales.
The next time you see a text message with a tempting promotion or sale, delete it. You heard me, delete it. Something you just happen to see on sale that you don’t really need doesn’t save money—it just hurts your financial life. So next time you see a sign on a shop window that says “sale, off or discount” look away. You are not saving money if you check out every sale.
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Only shop with a clear head.
Be sure to notice when and why you make impulse purchases. Are you sad, stressed, tired, or bored?
A lot of people shop to feel good, but later as they see how much money they have wasted they feel remorse.
Even just being tired or hungry when you’re shopping can be dangerous. Instead of thinking about a purchase logically, you just load up the cart and buy. Consider putting off shopping until another day when you’re more rested and don’t have a grumbling stomach.
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Never shop for entertainment.
If hitting the mall or main street shopping is hurting your finances, change your idea of entertainment. When you put yourself in the center of shopping temptations, you’re probably going to buy something.
So, stay away from your favorite stores when you have time to kill and need to curb impulse buying. And don’t hang out with friends whose lives revolve around shopping when it just isn’t in your budget.
Only shop when you really need something.
OK folks, I hope the tips were helpful for you. Here are the words you heard in today’s episode:
Impulse buying: buying something that you do not need without a plan
Short term: happening over a short period of time
Long term: happening or occurring over a long period of time
Groceries: items of food that are sold in a supermarket
Stick to: continue to do or use something
Rule of thumb: a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on practice or experience
Sleeping on it: to not make a decision about something important until the next day
put something off: delay, postpone
K: thank you guys for tuning in. We have great plans for your Nowruz holidays. We have courses starting from Farvardin 4th. An IELTS course, a grammar/writing workshop and our accounting courses in Mashhad. For more information visit our website www.pact.ir or follow us on Instagram with the handle @PACT.ir or find us on telegram with @PACT_ir or @PACT_English.
That’s all we have time for today. Happy holiday season and good bye.
K: Bye.
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