Black Friday is here again with the temptation of huge discounts on a whole range of items. Online shopping makes it so easy to spend and to overspend from the comfort of our warm and dry homes. The thrill of a bargain is tempting for us all and we can all easily overlook our reasons for buying.
- Is it the thrill and satisfaction of the discounted price that we really want or the item itself?
- Will we have discarded the item in the near future?
- Can we really afford it? Are we confusing the idea of deserving it with being able to afford it?
- If the item wasn’t discounted would we still want to buy it?
The thrill can blind us to our real motivations for buying with all kinds of perceived yet unconscious benefits that we think the item will bring us; will we look more beautiful, will we look more successful, will it cheer us up, will it mend our broken heart, will it impress our friends?
Placing our emotional wellbeing and self-confidence in a new bag or new pair of shoes, even when on discount, is hoping for a quick fix and the rational part in all of us knows that quick fixes are at best, short-term.
So take a moment before you hit ‘buy’ or find yourself in the queue to pay, be honest with yourself about your real motivations for buying . . . so that Black Friday is only about the retailers ‘losing’ money and not your bank account!