No man could acquire money and not spend it to buy a thing or two. He would have to experience purchasing something at least once in his life. Whether it is food, clothing or shelter, the need to purchase is inevitable as these are necessities in life. The main argument then only lies between covering the basics or ending up with pieces that are not really as important but would make living easier.
Regardless if you are scheduled to go to the groceries this weekend or have a Friday hangout with friends in one of the shopping malls in the Philippines, these tips would help you acquire the skills to shop smartly which later on could give you the balanced life you deserve.
- You do not have the responsibility to buy all the time. You are the master of your own decisions, so you always have a choice. To cite an example, it’s rainy days once again. Natural instinct would encourage us to have extra raincoats or umbrellas in hand. Hold on for a second. This is actually an opportunity for you to sit back and think things over. Is there a way that you could get this umbrella for free? Most stores offer them as an added bonus these days if you reach certain accumulated receipts from them. You do not really need it right away in the first place, so the urgency is not there. Here’s another illustration. Say, you just bought a couple of new desktop computers. Although you have a Wi-Fi system installed, the area where you’d situate both PCs are in two separate far away rooms. Hence, it is practical to set up a LAN connection instead. You would need a crimper for the Ethernet cables to connect them all together. Would you head over to an electronics store just to get that piece of a tool which you’d probably use only once? Wouldn’t it be wise to ask a technician friend first before you make any rash decisions? Perhaps he can lend his to you.
- Wait patiently for the right time and opportunity. It’s all about proper timing and not giving in to impulsive buying. All you need to do is plan ahead, and you could quickly save big bucks. For instance, we are in a world of high technology nowadays. Everybody has the latest gadgets – smartphones, tablets, laptops. Suppose what you have is an old model. Would you give in to the newest craze and visit the nearest PH malls as soon as you get your paycheck? Have you ever considered that in two-three-months-time, a newer and better brand would be released with the same price that is up in the market now?
- Learn the art of substitution. Sometimes, finding cheaper alternatives works best. Case in point, your brother is celebrating his birthday next week. You have quite a limited budget so you couldn’t afford to give him his much requested iPad gadget. However, he’s been wooing you for ages for your album CD signed by his favorite band. Pair that with a personalized T-shirt bearing the artists’ signatures, and there’s your gift. Not only did it cost you less but you also made him extremely happy.
Office Space, Hotels and Shopping Malls in the Philippines 