Saving in times of rising prices: At the moment it is important to be careful about what and how you buy. Here are seven tricks to avoid overspending at the checkout.
This article first appeared on RTL.de
Life is getting more and more expensive from month to month – there is no end in sight. The war in Ukraine causes rising energy and food prices on the world markets, which end consumers have to pay for. Compared to the past and compared to other regions of the world, this is still a lot of whining at a high level. Because we have been living big for decades: we are a consumer and throwaway society. So it should be possible not to buy more than necessary. We’ll tell you how that can work.
The greatest enemy of saving
Oh, we could use that too! Everyone knows the phenomenon: In consumer psychology, it is called impulse or spontaneous buying. Flour, milk, eggs, cheese and bread: Actually there were only five important things to get from the supermarket, but at the checkout there were already 15 on the conveyor belt.
Or this funny gadget that is advertised again and again in the social media news feed – and then turns out to be useless nonsense when bought. Online shopping in general: the finger presses “buy now” so often that the brain hardly has the opportunity to deal rationally with the purchase decision beforehand.
Buying can be addictive
“Very few people only buy goods that they absolutely need,” says Nadja Tahmassebi, senior psychologist at the Salus Clinic in Friedrichsdorf of the German Press Agency. Instead of providing themselves with the bare essentials, people primarily took care of themselves emotionally. Discounts or apparently limited availability are particularly tempting.
And so customers are happy to buy attractive products. The reason: The reward center in the brain is activated, happiness hormones are released for a short time – and that is downright addictive. But what can consumers do to circumvent these mechanisms?
1. Don’t go to the supermarket hungry
Various studies have already shown that people who go shopping when they are hungry put more food in their shopping cart. So: If you’re hungry, eat an apple or a sandwich beforehand – then no food ends up in the shopping trolley that you don’t need.
2. Shopping list
Whether as a good old handwritten shopping list or digitally as an app: If you have a list of the things you need, you are less likely to buy more than you planned. But discipline is necessary!
3. Basket instead of shopping trolley
There is a lot of space in large shopping trolleys – often even too much space! If you know that you only want to buy five things, then it is better to grab a shopping basket. Because only a limited number of things fit into it.
4. Create a wish list
Do I really need it – or do I just want to reward myself? Especially with expensive purchases, you should create a wish list and generally wait a month. In the meantime, try to figure out if the purchase is really necessary, or if you just want to treat yourself – while that’s not wrong either, it’s better to be clear about it.
5. No shopping malls
Shopping centers are one thing. Somehow practical, because the principle applies here: drive there once – and there you can get everything you need. But at the same time, the temptation to shop lurks here. Because once you’re there, you can take a look around – and maybe you’ll buy things that you don’t really need.
6. Don’t fall for the tricks of the supermarkets
Would you have thought that certain tiles in the supermarket would tempt us to spend more money? Or that our line of sight can be controlled as a result? It’s amazing how marketers influence us when we shop without us realizing it. The method is called neuromarketing.
7. Only take a certain amount of cash with you
The last trick is also the strictest and therefore the most difficult. Think about your purchase and set the maximum amount you want to take with you – in the form of cash. Yes, since Corona we have been more than happy to pay by card or NFC chip in our smartphones for reasons of hygiene – but only armed with an X amount of cash and a shopping list are you guaranteed to stick to your budget.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
