How To Make A Decision Before Making A Purchase

Consumers should come up with a process for making decisions before they buy. This will save them time, worry, and money.

Decision making about how to spend your money is complicated. There are a million situations and variables to consider, or at least that is what we tell ourselves when we try to decide whether or not to purchase something. Ideally though shopping should come down to a process wherein you ask yourself a few simple questions that help determine how much you want a specific item and how much you are willing to spend to get it.

How to make a decision on purchases:

• Try not to react to advertisements. Think about it for a while and try to figure out why the ad made you want something. What might be the reason you have an emotional response to the commercial?
• Assess the product to see if it has special features, especially if you are upgrading from something you already own. Are the upgrades things you need or will even use?
• Watch out for deceptive advertising. The old saying is still true and you should think of it when doing decision making, if it seems too good to be true it probably is.
• If it is a new item, do you really need it? How many pairs of black shoes does a woman need? How many electronic gadgets does a man need? Does your child really need yet another toy?
• Does the item have a good value, meaning is it worth the time you spent earning the money to pay for it?
• Could you spend your cash better on something else right now like catching up on bills or saving for a big purchase?
• Once you decide to purchase a specific item decide what level of quality your are looking for? Is it alright if the item is low quality because you will not use it much or do you need high quality for something that will be used regularly?
• How much can you honestly afford to spend at this time?
• Do you have time to wait until the thing you want goes on sale? Everything does, eventually.
• Is having a brand name important to you even if there is more cost involved?
• Do you have a friend who already has the item you want to purchase? Can you ask them what they think of it and if it is worth buying?
• What is the warranty or service contract and is it included with purchase or will it cost extra? Can you get a better warranty at another store or by purchasing it with a particular credit card?
• If it is a big ticket item have you looked into magazines that specialize in testing products to see what they have to say?

If you have a process on how to make a decision about purchases they will be easier. Instead of just worrying and wondering what is best or worse making impulse purchases you can turn to your trusty list of questions. Your answers to that list will tell you whether or not to spend.

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