A minimalist and frugal living lifestyle does not normally lend itself to impulse buying. This particular form of purchasing is normally associated with an ‘in the moment’ purchase that has not been well thought out or considered. It generally also equates to spending money unnecessarily on products that aren’t needed and seem to end up as just clutter in the home. Now this may be the most well known form of impulse purchasing. However, I believe there is also another less considered side to the concept. What happens if an impulse purchase is not just junk or a good bargain but something that is used all the time?
Today I was buying a few essential items at a supermarket when I noticed that the face moisturiser I always use was on sale for less than half price. It was about 65% off and there was only one left. I’ve never snatched something off the shelf so fast before and not given it a second thought. Come hell or high water, I was going to buy this item. Now I did not go into the supermarket specifically for this moisturiser, and the fact I purchased this with no plan to do so that day makes this an impulse buy.
Now I consider this impulse purchase to be a great idea, namely because it’s not a perishable item and I will definitely use it. It’s what I normally buy so it is’t out of the ordinary and doesn’t hurt to have some reserve. When I need more in a few months time, what’s the point in waiting and paying more than double the price? Yes I have to store this in my home which some people many not think is overly minimalist but it saves me a lot of money in the long term. For something I would have bought anyway…
If however this was a moisturiser I’d never used before that I just noticed was cheap and I only bought because it was cheap I wouldn’t have classified that as a good impulse purchase. A believe a good impulse buy is something non-perishable that you use frequently and only when it’s a good bargain.
If an item you use is on sale every second week then in this instance there isn’t much point to stocking up. It’s important to be selective with clearance items and not be caught up by a ‘sale’ sign when sometimes the sale isn’t all that great. If the same moisturiser I bought was only say 10% off, I wouldn’t have bought it. For the small saving (it’s not that expensive anyway) it wouldn’t be worth storing this item considering they generally go on sale for more 20-40% relatively frequently. In this sense, the discount has to be worth the impulse and it has to be worth my while to front the money and store the item.
I always try to keep my eyes peeled for great bargains when I’m out and about, but will only part with my money when it’s a good impulse deal.
What are some of your impulse purchases?
This is Minimalism 