impulsive buying

Flint the Dwarf · Post by **Flint the Dwarf** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:30 pm

Regale us with tales of impulsive buying, and maybe your philosophy on spending. How much of what you make do you spend on yourself? Maybe it'll make people feel better about spending the money they earn. I dunno what it is, but I always feel bad when I spend money. Maybe it's cuz I'm technically in debt, although I have enough to pay it all off, and really should. Not credit card debt, because fuck credit cards. Just some college tuition.

So I've been meaning to go to the library for like 4-5 months to get a library card, but have been busy working and never want to get out on my days off. And I've been meaning to pick up reading again to occupy the time normally allotted for drinking, cuz I'm pretty sick of drinking. And I can't read and drink, but I like reading more than drinking. Obvious solution is to get a library card. So today I finally go down there with proofs of ID and address. And guess what? THE SYSTEM IS DOWN. Dude tells me to come back in three days, which I won't do because I'll be working. So, rather than wait another week to get some books, I walk over to the local Barnes and Noble and buy Snow Crash and American Gods. And why not a book light while I'm at it. So I walk out, and remember there's an EB Games nearby, so what the hell. I walk over and walk out with Shining Force Neo. And then I'm kinda hungry, so I spend $9 on a burrito. I eat fast food like once every 6 months, I deserve it.

So I spent a little over $70 today. But I haven't really bought anything for myself since my bass, months ago. Well, concert tickets too. I dunno, though, it feels good to spend money that I've worked so hard for. But before I buy anything, I compare it to how long it took me to make the money that I'm going to spend. What I really need to cut out is small regular purchases, namely energy drinks. And maybe walking to work instead of the bus.

I also know that my spending is pocket change compared to what some people throw away.

Kusoyaro · Post by **Kusoyaro** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:38 pm

The worst is when I went to Best Buy almost two months ago just to look at the Xbox 360 and the games available for it. I ended up buying the console the spot, but they didn't have Gears of War, so I went over to Target. Ended up buying Gears, Rainbow Six: Vegas, and the HD-DVD player add-on. That was almost $800 spent in 20 minutes. Then I went home, bought a Live account and a bunch of Live Arcade games. Almost $1000 in one Sunday afternoon.

But I've been playing Gears and Xbox Live Arcade games like a fiend, so it's been worth it.

Shazzy · Post by **Shazzy** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:26 pm

I have the typical female problem of blowing 3x as much money on clothes as I planned to spend. What if I can't find that exact shirt ever again!?!?!?

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:52 pm

I'm usually very very good with money. I'll save and save and walk around with the same 20 dollar bill in my pocket for two weeks, and once I get enough socked together to buy what I want, I don't scimp and spent whatever is needed.

I brought my lunch to work for 2 months and didn't buy any new clothes so I could save up for my awesome 24 inch monitor

Moonlight Soldier · Post by **Moonlight Soldier** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:08 pm

I rarely go out shopping so when I do buy things I tend to buy a lot at once.

I don't however, spend money I don't have.

And recently, I've bought some big purchases, train tickets, plane tickets, clothes (I rarely buy) so I haven't been buying the little things I usually do, like books and music.

Usually I just hoard all the money I make into the bank and when I do go out I just have such a free for all that I satisfy my spending habits in one go.

I support spoiling yourself every now and again ^^.

Fall_Child42 · Post by **Fall_Child42** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:03 pm

I am usually VERY conservative with money. but i get into these "Spending grooves" and spend a shit ton for 2 weeks or so then STOP DEAD again.

A handy hint i got was this.

"You had to work for an hour to get that $8 (or whatever), is the enjoyment out of buying that thing going to be greater than all of the hours of work nessacary to buy it?"

Flint the Dwarf · Post by **Flint the Dwarf** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:16 pm

Fall_Child42 wrote:"You had to work for an hour to get that $8 (or whatever), is the enjoyment out of buying that thing going to be greater than all of the hours of work nessacary to buy it?"

Yeah, that's basically what I meant by

But before I buy anything, I compare it to how long it took me to make the money that I'm going to spend.

dokool · Post by **dokool** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:21 pm

Tokyo is a horrible city for impulse spenders, especially since a lot of stores have point cards (which trick you into believing that you're making money back on what you spend). The fact that I have to go to Shibuya every day for class doesn't help matters at all, since I always had the 'well, I'm here, might as well pick up X' way of thought. Examples:

-The Tower Records in Shibuya is having a double-point sale right now (normally you get one point for every 500 yen you spend, but from Friday till Today you get two), so when I went there to pick up a CD I ended up getting two CDs and three DVDs. And all so that when my point card eventually gets filled (which would require spending 25,000 yen during the sale, or 50,000 yen otherwise) I'll get 3,000 yen back.

-Then you have Bic Camera's system, where everything you spend gives you a certain percentage of points back - some things give you 8%, others give you 10%, and occasionally 15% or 20%. You can choose to either save your points, or spend them like they were yen. I've managed to accrue about 33,000 points on my card, which is an indication of how much money I've spent there (although to be fair, a good chunk of that was on appliances for my apartment, plus I got lucky and my printer gave me 20%).

I had a little freakout yesterday over the ATM not giving me cash (resolved, thank god - I can finally log onto my bank's website and I'm still flush with cash), so I'm probably cutting down on spending for a bit of time anyway. That'll change once I finally get my visa worked out and can get a God Damned Cellphone...

Fall_Child42 · Post by **Fall_Child42** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:23 pm

Flint the Dwarf wrote:
Fall_Child42 wrote:"You had to work for an hour to get that $8 (or whatever), is the enjoyment out of buying that thing going to be greater than all of the hours of work nessacary to buy it?"
Yeah, that's basically what I meant by

But before I buy anything, I compare it to how long it took me to make the money that I'm going to spend.

You know theres a very interesting Psychological phenomonon dealing with attention where someone will read somthing and it just won't register.

Ileia · Post by **Ileia** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:26 pm

I dropped $300 the first week of working at the Mall of America.