Last Updated on April 10, 2020
I wait 30 days before making any purchase. I talk about this pretty often on my Instagram feed because I think itās really important.
I love supporting sustainable businesses, but I also love not buying things because not buying something is one of the most sustainable choices you can make.
I for one am super susceptible to marketing, and I think a lot of us can be. Pretty much every time I find a new TV show, Iām trying to buy their entire wardrobe. Have you seen Timeless because I want all of Lucyās sweaters. What about Jane the Virgin because I want to live in Petraās closet.
Marketers have done a great job making us believe we need a new product for every problem or want that we have. Like I donāt need baby blue hot pants – but I WANT SOME.
When I put some separation between me and my want often even a few days, the want dies down and I can make a more rational decision.
When we impulse buy, we tend to forget that we have simple solutions are all around us – it just takes a bit of creative thinking or looking through your drawer to realize you already had a navy blue sweater.
You can read more about this under the header Know Thy Wardrobe in the post 6 Tips for Secondhand Shopping.
Recently, I wanted an electric kettle for my office.
See, I like tea. A lot. And, I was working at the kitchen table instead of my office because I was close to the stove/kettle/tea.
When Iām in my new office space, if I were to go downstairs and make myself a cup of tea everytime I wanted tea, Iād spend all of my time downstairs instead of working.
An electric kettle would have solved this problem, but before I bought one, I decided to wait 30 days to see if I could come up with a better solution – AND I DID!
I had a double insulated wine bottle I have never used before and it’s PERFECT.
It holds an entire french press worth of tea and holds heat better than any other bottle I have (I think because of how skinny it’s neck is)
It takes me around two hours to drink this whole thing, and at that point, I feel like it makes sense to go downstairs grab a snack or stretch and make put the kettle on to make a new batch.
I would highly encourage anyone to adopt the practice of waiting before buying!
The next time you want something, just tell yourself to wait until next month. Donāt write it down cause if you forget, then clearly you didnāt need it in the first place.
For more tips, watch the video below.
The is so true Kathryn. I learnt a little bit about the psychology of marketing back at university….
It’s really about creating that artificial desire or want as you said.
You don’t really want that knife that can cut through a can of soda…but after seeing someone do it on tv, you think to yourself…hmmm…what if I did want to cut through a can one day, how would I do that, I don’t have the right knife…maybe I should get it now.
Or something like that.
I think after 30 days you should be well and truly over that artificial desire stage š
Cheers to the double insulated wine cooler though. That IS something I would use.
I actually do that very often too – it is such a great way to find out if you really need the things! I waited about a month before I purchased my stainless steel water bottle from http://www.pureosophy.com and found out that I really needed a reusable bottle so I had a way to stay hydrated even when I am on the go š