Online Shopping… Are we becoming Lazy Spendthrifts?

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Not so long ago we knew people who were either Lazy or Spendthrifts… but logically no one could have been both! Because then you were needed to literally ‘get out of bed’ to spend money. So if you were lazy then you could not be spendthrift and vice verse. But this used to happen in good old days of shopping ‘Outings’. The past few years have changed it all for us. Today if you want, you can be both Lazy as well as Spendthrift…and we must thank ‘Online shopping’ for providing this opportunity to us!

The whole experience of online shopping is enticing. You are offered wide variety of goods at relatively cheaper prices than physical stores. You can make quick comparison of prices and read product reviews to refine your purchase. And often there are wonderful discounts to lure you. With no sales person to disturb you with undesirable suggestions, your shopping experience can be no less than meditation at times. Home deliveries are make it all more fascinating. And the comfort of being at home is the icing on this cake. Several payment modes including online transfers make it even more attractive. Deferring the payment by choosing Cash on delivery can be quite encouraging for some.

It has changed the whole shopping experience for us. You are no longer required to get ready and drive to the neighborhood malls. No need to stand in long waiting lines for the trial rooms and the billing counters. Online shopping is a very personalized experience. You do not have to bother waiting for your family members and friends to finish their shopping, which was earlier quite discouraging for some to go out and shop. Just couple of clicks and your wish is fulfilled. You can afford to be both lazy and spendthrift!

Too much of everything is bad! Being lazy and being spendthrift, both are hazardous to us. The temptation of being lazy is not good for our physical health and temptation of being spendthrift is not good for our financial health.

Apart from the above problems, online shopping has one more vice...it can be very addictive! At times it can make you buy things you may not find suitable and regret later or worse it can even make you buy things you may not need at all!!

If you are also the one encountering such problems and comforts of online shopping often provokes the impulsive buyer in you then chances are that you will soon be added to the list of Lazy spendthrift addicts!

Here are some points looking into the financial aspect of how to save yourself from becoming a lazy spendthrift.

Shop on Weekends only:

Most of us are on the internet for most of the day. It is difficult not to drift away from our regular work out of boredom. Browsing through websites of various genre can be relaxing and entertaining.But however you entertain yourself, stay away from online shopping websites as a discipline until absolutely necessary. Just ask yourself at least once 'can it wait?' and if your answer is 'yes' then make it a weekend affair only. Shopping or browsing such websites on weekends can be entertaining as well as a respite to our hectic weekday schedules.

Make a weekly Purchase List:

The good old 'make a list' method can be helpful to get out of this habit. Instead of making the list for whole month break it down into weekly list. This will help you enjoy purchasing 'something' every week and will satisfy the shopper in you. Also having a ready list will remind you of the necessary purchases and will force you to stay focused.

Compare Prices:

Make it a habit of comparing prices…Always. Competitive pricing and raining discounts are boon of online shopping. Also you are no longer required to hop physically from shop to another to get the best price. Instead you can do it all easily at home. To encourage you further, there are always some e-shopping websites announcing sale to attract customers.So instead of hurrying up with your shopping, make use of the facility. Do not let go of the chance of getting discounts on similar products and there by chance of saving some money.

Keep your Financial Plan open:

Along with detailed analysis of your various physical, financial, professional and personal situations in life, your financial plan will also have the list of your goals, liabilities, savings and investments. Looking at some of them may be enough to scare you and remind you to keep away from unnecessary buying. Since you are no longer getting out of your house, it means that the financial plan is well with in your reach. It can be done very easily during the online shopping…just keep the file of your Financial Plan open!

Choose Cash on delivery:

It is the toughest habit to inculcate because we hardly keep any cash at home now a days, thanks to cards and online transfers. But if you are suffering from chronic problem of impulsive buying, switch the payment mode to cash on delivery. You will encounter two problems, withdrawing cash and the limit of cash being kept at home. Lesser the cash in hand, lesser will be your amount of bill.

Do not let your kids make online purchase:

If you have kids at home, do not let them handle the purchase unsupervised. Very likely they will not have a list of what to buy and may be interested in buying anything they may deem fit for themselves.They will hardly bother about comparing prices. And worst of all they will promptly choose cash on delivery. Be vigilant and do not let your smart tech savvy kid outsmart you just because you forgot to pay attention.

Last but not the least ‘Self- discipline’ is the key to win over this bane of the boon of online shopping!

Share your experiences and give everyone a chance to learn from it!