Why People Make Spur of the Moment Purchases

Breaking budgets can lead to personal debt and impact your financial security, and this is easily done with tempting unconscious spending. Managing a household budget is difficult without discipline. The temptation of unconscious spending is greater than you might think.

You might be out with your girlfriend shopping and she buys these cute new shoes; so suddenly you have a pair of new shoes in your shopping bag also. You didn’t need any new shoes, but the display was so attractive and you found some that matched an outfit you have at home, so it is easy to justify your purchase. Then, the credit card bill will come in and have to be paid.

External and internal pressures make it tough to resist unconscious spending. What really makes sense is conscious spending if you want to stick to your budget. You have worked hard for your money and you should buy what is best for you and your household with the money you earn. Most people don’t buy this way because they are unconscious spenders.

Advertising itself is a big enticement. There are hundreds of highly paid psychologists, statisticians, filmmakers, marketers, copywriters, and artists hired to influence your buying decisions

We are bombarded with TV ads, sales coupons in the paper, ads in the newspapers, brochures, catalogs in the mail, magazines, and even on the radio. They have spent years learning how to influence people, and it isn’t easy to resist some of these ads.

Retail people also know how to arrange their merchandise in an attractive display that is pleasing to the eye, along with their signs, which are meant to turn your browsing into a purchase. It works quite well for the retailers. The only thing that is helpful to you is the fact that they know what type of items you like to buy.

For instance, in the grocery store if you buy the same brand of cheese, you are probably going to get a coupon printed on the back of your receipt for that cheese at some point. If we went into the grocery store and actually only bought the few things on our lists the stores would probably have to close. They count on our spur of the moment weakness to pick up several extra items which is unconscious buying, even if they are items are ones you eventually use. They may have added up enough to put you over your budgeted amount for food that month. Of course, never go grocery shopping when you are hungry,

Another reason people buy things is the fast moving pace of technology. VHS tapes ( I still own several) are now DVD’s, but wait, now they have Blue-ray DVD’s. A computer that is move than 5 years old is obsolete. Another new product is the I- Phone where you can download movies, and I am still learning new things about my android phone. Also, CD’s are now becoming minidiscs, with music to download minidiscs are going to be obsolete.

The problem with all this pressure is how do you pay for these things if you are over spending in your budget each month? Credit cards, home-equity loans, store cards, and even advances in paychecks are sometimes used to meet the expenses. You will never get ahead living on borrowed funds. Make sure you prepare and live within your budget to gain financial success. Decide carefully before you make a purchase if it is necessary. This is the way to stop unconscious spending.

The copyright to this article is owned by Pamela Oglesby. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.