Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Dori Cameron of Beyond Belongings.
It happens in an instant—the internal dialogue you have when considering an online or in-store purchase. For some people, it’s buying and restoring furniture. For others, it’s electronics.
Whatever it is that you’re considering buying—bicycles, clothing, household items—here are five myths that encourage excess spending you want to overcome:
1. The “I can always return it” myth.
The opportunity of returning an item is a common justification of excess spending. When you have that George Foreman grill in your hands, it seems like a great idea. Thinking you can return it to the store if you don’t like it makes spending that $30 an easy decision.
But have you considered the amount of time and effort would go into the return? Surely you would have to store the packaging it came in, keep the receipt, clean it, repackage it, travel back to the store for the return, wait in line, and hopefully get a full refund. Each store has a different return policy and rules that vary. Is the return policy 14 days? 30 days? 60 days? Does the item need to be unopened? What happens if you misplace the receipt? There are so many nuances involved with returning items that it can quickly become a hassle.
Is there another way you’d like to spend your afternoon than waiting in a Target customer service line? If you are thinking “I can always return it,” the item may not be something worth purchasing in the first place.
2. The “I can always sell it later” myth.
Selling online has evolved from eBay and Craigslist to smartphone apps that are incredibly easy to use. The “letgo” app allows you to take a photo, name your price, and even generates a title for your item based on your photo. The app pulls items for sale in your area, creating a virtual endless yard sale. You would think it’s easy to sell online given all of these new tools and apps, but the ease of use increases the number of items posted for sale.
Selling unwanted items also requires time, planning, and thought. How many messages do you check from people interested in your item? How many of those people schedule to come see it, but don’t show up? How much time have you allotted to meet with potential buyers, only to not make as much money as you expected?
Of course, there are some people who run very successful resale businesses, but to others it becomes quite the time burner. Was selling your iPod nano for $25 worth the time and energy spent on the sale? Is there something else you would rather do with your time?
A rule of thumb when making a purchase is to assume it has no resale value. Saying to yourself, “I can always sell it later” before a purchase assumes that a buyer will follow through with the sale at the exact time you want to sell it—all variables which are not guaranteed.
3. The “I can always give it away if I don’t use it” myth.
If reselling your clothing online via the Poshmark app doesn’t work, you can always give it away, right? Surely there’s a roommate, neighbor, or thrift store that could benefit from the blazer that’s a bit too snug, but you purchased because it was on sale? By placing perceived value on your clothing, you are assuming that a thankful recipient is waiting for (and ready to accept) your donation. In the U.S., “fast fashion” clothing stores are creating a surplus of clothing in both retail and resale stores, as well as landfills.
Is there a better way to give back to others or your community than dropping off used goods at a thrift store? Becoming more mindful about your internal dialogue when shopping online or in person is key, and could leave you with extra time and money to use in more fulfilling ways.
4. The “I can always repair or restore it” myth.
I admit, there are times when I purchased a secretary desk or coffee table that needed a little TLC. In my mind, I was seeing the item in its completely restored glory. But how much money in materials—sanding tools, paint stripper, stain, finish—would it really cost to restore? How much time would I need to invest in the restoration?
There are those who find great joy in restoring furniture, jewelry, or cars, but the average person may not have the motivation, tools, or skill to repair or restore these items. If you are thinking, “I can rebuild that engine,” or “I can restore this mid-century armoire to its full glory,” consider the time and materials involved before making the purchase. You may end up realizing there is a different way you would rather spend your time and money.
5. The “I can always put it into storage until I need it” myth.
Onsite and offsite storage is extremely common in the U.S. If you go into someone’s basement, attic, or garage, you are bound to find seasonal or barely used items. When buying items used so infrequently that they must be stored out of sight, consider your alternatives. Do you need to have your own bike although you could rent one instead? Do you need to hold onto old toys for the third child you may or may not end up having? Have you considered how a wet basement or a hot storage unit will affect your belongings?
When deciding to store items or let them go, I like to consider the “joy factor.” Is there someone else who would get more joy out of the bike you’re not using, or the toys you’ll likely donate straight from storage? When you are in buying mode, ask yourself where in your house the object will likely be a year from now. If you picture your purchase collecting dust in the garage, you may be better off not making the purchase at all.
These five myths arise in order to justify purchases we may otherwise not consider. There is joy to be found in the things we purchase—the goal is to practice being more mindful about the things we do buy.
Which myth resonated with you the most? Let me know in the comment section below.
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Dori Cameron is a singer-songwriter living in Boston. You can find her on her blog, Beyond Belongings.
Deneane Niebergall says
Yikes! I use all of these rationales to justify questionable purchases. But it is #1 by far that gets me into the most trouble. So true, that the time, energy and mental toll agonizing over whether to keep or return some thing is not worth it in the end. I must keep telling myself that over and over. Its so simple, the less you bring into your home, the less you will have to worry about getting rid of later. I am getting better at this than I used to be, but its an ongoing struggle for sure. Thanks for reminding us!
Pamela J Goldman says
I just saw an email for Anthropologie 30% off and right before I clicked on it my brain caught it and said what are you doing? You don’t want to buy into this crazy “must have” economy. So your teachings and that of others have worked. I did however buy a book which I’m getting tomorrow on doing a spending fast and going from broke to badass. (quit spending entirely)
Carrie says
Me too! The only thing is that I did click on it, put something in my cart, and realized I didn’t need another pair of jeans. I quickly closed the page. It’s that gotta get it before it’s sold out thought process. Truly I only need to shop when there is something I ‘need.’ Hoping to make that my mindset.
Carol from SC says
Excuse #4 is definitely my problem. Finding good quality clothing on sale that “only needs” a waist or hem adjustment is my downfall. A recent incident served to enlighten me: I finally dug into my closet to find and repair some lovely slacks that only needed the waistline “taken in a bit” — only to find they were now TOO SMALL! Such a waste!
Karen Cameron says
I recently moved into a small apartment after living in a three bedroom house for 34 years. I had to let go of a lot of stuff. I still get the urge to buy stuff, but I hope I don’t go overboard! I loved your article, Dori.
Dads Dollars Debts says
My personal goal over the last 6 months is to make sure I have nothing left to donate. Every 6 months I do a clearing and donate items. If I have made it to a point where I am not donating anything, then I know I am not accumulating unnecessary items. I still have not reached that threshold but day by day.
Tammy says
I really like your idea! And the every 6 months is a workable time period. Thanks!
littleblackdomicile says
So many of the calls we get are for assistance in designing closets that will work for our clients. Clients come to us wanting a “Wow” and we suggest more of a “Yeah…this is my space I can count on.” We gently nudge towards the less and better quality is more in both clothing and home furnishings. My personal motto is if I do not want to take care of something…then I do not want to own it. I enjoy weekly laundry of the clothes I enjoy so much and the ones I can count on in this busy world. Taking care of our wardrobe is the one sure accomplishment each week…it’s a moral booster at the very least!-Laurel
Judy says
I am definitely #3! However, I really don’t shop much anymore. If I do need to purchase something, I usually find it at my local Goodwill. I am all about REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE.
Judith says
2. The “I can always sell it later” myth. and 4. The “I can always repair or restore it” myth. and then this leads to 5. The “I can always put it into storage until I need it” myth. I am one of those persons that buys a used item, fixes it up and then sells it to supplement my retirement. However, it doesn’t always work like that. It is not unusual, that I see an item that I want to later sell and buy it. It needs repaired, refinished or repurposed in some way. I don’t have the time to do all that right then so, it gets put into storage for some later date when I do have time. That takes what seems to be forever sometimes and the item gathers a whole lot of dust. All that dust means the item now needs cleaned before I can work on it. So, it stays in storage gathering more dust and I work on something that I just bought that is clean and ready to work on or just price and sell. I am really trying to get away from this vicious cycle by only buying items that need cleaning or very minimal work and putting it right on the market to sell. I am also making an effort to pull something out of storage at least weekly and doing what needs to be done and marketing it.
Kathy from CT says
I am definitely the “I can always return it” type. Drives my husband crazy! Though I have gotten much much better over the years. I still justify it in my mind for stores that I pass anyway during my daily commute. Obviously, I still have some more work to do to squash that feeling entirely.
Kelli says
Hi Dori
I really enjoyed this post. I was never a huge shopper to begin with, and then six years ago, my husband and I became location-independent, and with all the traveling, not having a home base that is truly our own–we stay with my mom when we come back to NJ–we weren’t doing much shopping at all besides replacing some worn out clothing along the way. That really helped me detach from material goods, and there is great freedom in that. The more inner work I do and the more deeply it sinks in that nothing outside of us can truly make us happy (something we understand intellectually but definitely takes a bit to truly know), the easier it is to not get sucked into the contrary line of thinking. I think for me, and a lot of people probably, a more minimalist lifestyle wasn’t any sort of rejection of consumerism, but a natural byproduct of inner transformation. All the internal ‘stuff’ that would normally be temporarily ‘quelled’ by acquiring something wasn’t as strong anymore, so the behaviors used to cope with that naturally fell by the wayside as well.