I have developed three more strategies to help you keep your money excellent when shopping online.
Here and here are my previous posts about these topics. Each bar contains three constructive tips specific to online shopping. These are worth checking out.
You can control your online buying behavior
Online shopping allows you to shop whenever and access all the necessary products. This can be great for people who cannot visit bricks and mortar stores due to logistical or other issues.
It can also allow unrestricted access that is so tempting that it makes it difficult to stop or put on the brakes when it’s time.
It would help if you placed restrictions on your online shopping access.
Use the tips from my first two posts ( here and here) to manage your access.
Once you get there, you won’t be disappointed
You’ll be able to purchase something once you are in the land of online shopping. This is the whole point of e-shopping. This can be dangerous for those who need help managing and creating healthy shopping habits.
When we’re online shopping, we’re exposed. We’re vulnerable. We are open to purchasing more than we need or want.
We need specific, helpful strategies that work. As well-intentioned as they might be, generalities such as “shut down your credit cards” don’t always work.
So use these three super helpful and specific-to-this-kind-of-shopping tips to help manage your online shopping behavior, so you don’t end up with more stuff cluttering up your life and making a mess of your credit.
Use the “Add To Wishlist,” the “Add To Favourites,” or “Add TO Dream List” buttons (or whatever it is called on the website you are currently on). This button is for “put aside while it’s thought about.” This is what we want. If you cannot click on it without purchasing, delay the Buy Now step and add it to your wishlist. It’s possible to continually return to it later and add it to the shopping cart.
Ask the seller questions if you’re on an online shop that allows this (such as online auction sites that sell vintage, handmade, or ‘collective items). Another “delay-hitting Add to Shopping Cart” strategy is this. This gives you the time to consider the purchase, and, most importantly, it allows you to put some distance between “I love the item” and “I must have it!”. This helps to avoid the impulse buying behavior that many of us have and is trying to change with healthier purchasing habits. You may also get valuable information from the seller that could help you make a decision about whether to buy the item or not.