If you are addicted to online shopping like me but sometimes feel like you have absolutely no self-discipline when it comes to spending then you need to stick around for this post.
Practically every day I spend at least 30 minutes scrolling through online shops that I’m loyal to and putting everything in my cart (including cute apartment stuff…. meanwhile I don’t even have an apartment). It has just become a hobby which can be dangerous too and if you love online shopping too then you know what I mean. Nonetheless I have learnt to master the art of doing it the right way and I learnt this the hard way – regretting buying some things and wanting my money back for more important stuff instead. You don’t have to go through that trouble though because these tips will help with all of that:
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DON’T BUY WHAT YOU DON’T NEED
One thing you need to remember while online shopping is the fact that it is an online shop therefore you can go back whenever you wish, it never closes. The bad thing about online shopping is that the more you casually scroll down, the more things you see and you then start convincing yourself that you need them – you don’t! Go to the Search bar and look up exactly what you are looking for to avoiding spending more than you want to.
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SET A BUDGET
When you shop on online stores that offer a wide variety of products such as clothes, electronics, beauty products and home appliances you get tempted to buy just about everything you see and when we are online shopping we also sort of forget that our card is linked to the store so when we checkout, real money gets taken away from our account, unfortunately it isn’t a game. The smartest thing you could do is set a budget for yourself whenever you are online shopping for many items, this will save you from regrets.
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USE FILTERS
Every online shop I have come across has filters available somewhere on the top of their website. These filters can be used to find what you want specifically, so if you are looking for a Medium size yellow sweater, you can apply those filters and a variety of Medium sized yellow sweaters will pop up (if that store has a wide variety of them). A shop like AliExpress has hundreds of vendors who offer all sorts of products and some of the vendors also offer free shipping and some don’t hence why AliExpress also has the ‘Free shipping’ filter – once you turn that on, only items that don’t require you to pay for shipping will show. Take advantage of the filter feature to avoid endlessly scrolling down, hunting for what you want.
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COMPARE PRICES
Sometimes online stores sell similar items but at different prices, usually the cheaper one takes a while to get delivered to you but be sure to check the estimated arrival date before you make a purchase. It’s best to weigh out your options first before buying something otherwise you might find yourself spending more than you should’ve.
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READ REVIEWS
This point is really important, reading reviews will give you the exact idea of what the item looks like in person and what material it is made of. Online stores are good at marketing, everything looks good but sometimes all you have to do is scroll right down to the Reviews section and you will be mind-blown at how different the item may look in real life. Also, once you have received your items, be sure to leave a review too, whether it is good or bad, make sure you are honest so that you can help others too.
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CAREFULLY READ THE DISCRIPTION
If there aren’t any reviews and you desperately want a particular item, read all the information about it. The size and how it is actually measured, the fabric and whether it stretches or not and so on. In some cases, you might find that you aren’t happy with your purchase when you finally open it just because you neglected reading the description.
Online shopping is definitely fun and saves us a lot of time, but we also need to remember to be smart and conscious shoppers. Not everything we see is what we need to have, do not fall for that trap. Next time, before you buy something, ask yourself just this one question and answer it honestly: ‘Do I absolutely need this?’ Your answer to that will help you make wise decisions when it comes to spending, keep that in mind.
That’s it for now ✨
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