If you’re hoping to avoid extra impulse purchases this year, this tip will help you do just that!
We’re quickly approaching the time of year when there are so many sales and “great deals” that it’s often easy to make quick decisions and impulse purchases we might later regret.
Plus, many of the sales have an extremely limited time-frame (some are just for a few hours), making us feel like we need to grab the deal right now or we’ll miss out.
I have certainly made my share of impulse purchases over the years — some were more costly than others. However, as much as possible, I try to resist these purchases by giving myself 24 hours to think before I make the purchase (this is especially tricky with online shopping!)
If I really want/need the item badly enough, I’ll purchase it the next day. But more often than not, I won’t make the purchase — because after thinking about it for a day, I realize it’s likely not worth the money, the space it will take up in our home, or the upkeep it will require.
Related Reading: The True Cost of Our Stuff
It’s probably worth mentioning that I don’t use this 24-hour rule for basic purchases like groceries, gas, or other purchases I’m already planning to buy (school supplies, basketball shoes for a child, etc.) When I find a good deal on something I’m already looking for, I snatch it up ASAP!
The 24-hour rule is intended for those items we don’t need and weren’t already planning to buy (home decor, a collectible, furniture, jewelry, accessories, another book, something for a craft or hobby, new technology, a special bargain at the thrift store, toys, etc.)
Yes, waiting 24 hours might mean the item is already sold when I decide to go back the next day; but in those situations, I figure it’s just not meant to be.
It’s such a simple concept that has saved us hundreds of dollars on impulse purchases (especially now with the ease of online shopping) and so much extra stuff accumulating in our home.
Something to think about as the holiday season of consumerism is upon us!
Have you ever saved by waiting 24 hours?
Another tip to save more is not to shop with your 4 young children! 🥰
Jude Ledebuhr says
I’m retired now, but when I was working & thought I “needed” a new item I would figure out how many hours I’d have to work to afford that item. That would usually give me an answer if it was worth it or not.
Andrea says
yes, this is a great way to “talk yourself out of buying something”. If you see you’d need to work 4 hours just to pay for a dinner out, it might not be worth it!
Kristine Chew says
Yes I have. I have often waited a whole season for items and sometimes I get a great deal. I needed a new winter for backpacking but I held off figuring I could make do for another season. The next season I found my coveted coat for 50 percent off. Suffice it to say, it was worth the wait.
Luba @ Healthy with Luba says
Yes, in the age of instant gratification (even with fast food, electricity, computers), it’s very healthy to wait. I love your approach, Andrea.
I think our only exception would be if we already wanted something and found it for the price we wanted to pay. However, even then my husband is good at slowing us down regarding purchases. 🙂
Andrea says
Yes, we have the same exception — if we’ve been looking for something and KNOW it’s a good deal, we pounce on it!
Chris says
I sort of wanted some new barstools. I waited several years and found some nice wooden ones for $6.99 (90% off). 🙂
Andrea says
oh I love when this happens!
Mary in Maryland says
Even at the thrift store, I often walk around a bit thinking about a purchase. If it’s gone by the time I decide, I’m relieved. Once two women were admiring the yarn in my cart as perfect for their project–in French. They were surprised when I handed it to them. While I loved the variegated color, I realized I don’t enjoy working with worsted weight.
Andrea says
I’m horrible in thrift stores — because they usually don’t take returns, so I’m always second-guessing potential purchases (even if they are $1 or less!) I’m crazy!
Avia says
I implemented this rule for large purchases when DH and I first got married. It has really saved us as he was an impulse car buyer!
Melissa D. says
I’ve been keeping an eye on a Christmas gift for my oldest but it never seemed to go on sale. I happened to check last week and it was on sale! I picked it up but plan to keep watch to see if I can get a better deal before Christmas! Waiting to tell definitely makes a difference!
Melissa D. says
*Waiting to buy makes a difference! 😛
Kimberly says
A few years ago I wanted a gorgeous set of front loading washer and dryer in blue. There wasn’t anything wrong with the set we had and they both worked fine. My husband who is basically “what every makes Mama happy makes me happy” kinda guy went along with the idea. So we all loaded up on a Saturday and went to our favorite furniture/appliance store to buy a set of front loaders. A beautiful set of Whirlpool (my most favorite brand) for the bargain price of $2,500 for the set. We purchased them and they were to be delivered on Tuesday. But that night I woke up in the middle of the night very uncomfortable about this purchase. We discussed it the next day and the first thing Monday morning I was on the phone cancelling the order. Had we waited that 24 hours to think and pray about it we would have never purchased them to begin with. Always a good rule of thumb to wait 24 hours before making any purchase.
Heidi says
This works for online shopping too! I will have stuff in my cart then hit “save for later” and sleep on it. A lot of times I pass on the purchase after having thought it over and removed the momentum of seeing a good sale.
It is even good advice for grocery shopping if you do it online and have delivery! Many times i will put a bunch of stuff in our cart we don’t need and I will see that once I wait a day to complete the order. I usually delete 15%-20% of the cart i built the day before because we really don’t “need” it.
Christine Somers says
Your 24 hour guideline is a reminder that many times in life we are driven by impulses that don’t always align with our overall goals. Thanks for the reminder.
Patty@homemakersdaily.com says
Oh, my gosh, YES! If I can convince myself to wait, I almost always end up not buying the item. Sometimes I buy it anyway but don’t open it and end up taking it back. It would have been much easier to just wait instead of taking it back!
Years ago we were shopping for a truck. We were shopping for a used, affordable one, but ended up taking a look at a new one and signing on the dotted line. Fortunately for us, they couldn’t get it ready until Monday (it was Friday). Over the weekend we had some serious buyer’s remorse and ended up backing out of the deal. We hadn’t signed any final papers yet so the deal wasn’t done. We were SO happy we didn’t buy that truck. We ended up finding something much, much cheaper that was exactly what we’d been looking for. And later we were even happier we hadn’t bought the new truck because it was a tough winter and the “used” truck was involved in several weather-related incidents. It hurt less having it happen to an older truck than a brand new one.
So I’m all for the 24 hour rule. It’s a great idea!!!!
KR says
This same thing happened to me a few years ago buying a phone! I had walked in expecting to get an older model, but I let them sell me the newest one available. Of course I immediately regretted it and they had a free return policy within a certain amount of time so I went back the next day and got the phone I had been trying to get in the first place!!
monica says
Wait until the time is right. Save up and pay cash. Always worth it. When we built our home I really wanted built in bookcases. I didn’t get them, so I waited.And waited. And then I waited some more. This past summer, we were at a store that sells pieces of homes that have been torn down. We found four cases. Gorgeous, of course they needed work. Plus I had two other cases, so my husband bought them, sanded, painted, added trim, we wallpapered the back of the cases, they are beautiful. so wirth the wait. Total cost for 18′ floor to ceiling book cases, built in, less than $200.
Hana says
I often do that with most purchases, large or small. Especially when it comes to decorations and other things that aren’t necessary around the house. It usually doesn’t even take twenty-four hours. I put it back on the shelf/rack in the store, and usually I’ve forgotten about it ten minutes later! If it’s something else I really want, I’ll wait for it to go on sale and then get it. If it was a one-of-a-kind, like in a thrift store, then I know it wasn’t meant to be.
Usually I just *know* when it’s something I absolutely have to own.
I can only think of two things off the top of my head that I wish I had bought when I had the chance:
1) A brand-new foosball table that was at Goodwill six months ago. I know I can just buy a new one if I want, but it won’t be as cheap as the one at Goodwill, and it was REALLY NICE. I decided to ask my husband because it would have been considered a “big purchase” (not a MAJOR purchase, but still big enough to warrant a spouse consultation!). When I told him about it later he was appalled that I didn’t buy it right then lol. Of course it was gone when I went to go check again.
2) A purse I saw in a store window in Paris seven years ago. It was so cute. Why didn’t I just drag my parents in and go buy it? I’ll never know. Sigh.
Liz says
For me….it was a leather couch. It was the perfect amount of distressed. Thick cowhide. Beautiful. And gone the next day…..I’ve been searching for a similar one for almost 12 years now. LOL.
Jennifer says
When our 17 yr old washer died this spring it happened to be the same week that the washer we were looking at was on sale. So we purchased the washer. It also qualified for 2 energy rebates. Then 6 weeks later our 38 yr old dryer died. With it being spring/summer time we decided to wait for the matching dryer to go on sale and I just used my clothes lines and a drying rack. After watching and waiting for 4 months, the dryer finally went on a great sale. So I purchased it. It also came with free delivery and hook up.
I am currently watching the sales for a hand held vacuum. I regularly wait for things to go on sale or look for them at garage/yard sales and second hand stores. I had wanted to get a different dresser for my husband, some thing that didn’t look like dorm furniture. This summer I found a great dresser at an estate sale but didn’t buy it even though the price was great. After thinking about it I decided to back the next day to see if was still there and was lucky to get it for the now half price deal of $22.50.
We almost never pay full price for anything. I like the challenge of bargain hunting.
Liz says
We’ve been trying to save for a new car, so everything has been cash only. Since dh gets paid twice a month, it has to wait until the 15th or the 30th.
I keep a list as the month goes on of things I want to purchase….by the time the next paycheck rolls around, I’ve often rethought what was on the list. Maybe I found a different solution, or borrowed from a relative, or just plain changed my mind.
It’s been saving us tons.
Thrifty Mom in Boise says
I frequently use waiting as a money saving tool or as I like to say “sleep on it”. I find a lot of times that when I wake up in the morning I don’t really want that item anymore or feel like I can wait for a better deal. Often I find I can make something to fit the bill rather than purchase something.
Marie says
Absolutely!!! The older I get the more I rethink and rethink about making a purchase. We downsized and relocated 3 years ago when my husband lost his job and the economy was so bad. Since we recovered I consider so much before buying anything other than food basically. I always ask myself, do we need it and is this really a good deal. I’ve even purchased things to only return them after rethinking the purchase after getting home and sleeping on it. Plus the older I get the less materialistic I’ve become. That is why the holidays aren’t stressful for us. We don’t get caught up in all the “shopping drama” anymore.
Linda says
I hear you! I’m also at the age where we just don’t do the shopping drama at all any more. We already have more than we need; we’re new empty-nesters and working hard to GET RID of stuff.
I do wonder, though, if this is going to come back to me later, when we start having grandchildren?
🙂
Tara says
Yes! This is great advice. My husband and I will typically ask each other “do you think Dave would approve of this purchase?” (as in Dave Ramsey). Usually the answer is no 🙁 but it has saved us tons of money.
Katie says
Yes, I often ask myself, “what would Dave do?” too!
Jen says
I saved by waiting a YEAR. lol
I found some nightstands that I really love on Overstock. They are very similar to the much more expensive Pottery Barn tables that I had picked out for my dream room. When I found them they were deeply discounted, but I still couldn’t afford them at the time. So I waited. And the price went up, and then down SOME, and then back up but I had a coupon but it still wasn’t cheap enough…and then they were out of stock. For a year, I watched the price rise and fall and it seemed every time they were in my price range, they were also out of stock when I looked.
But then the other day, they were in stock and marked down. They were also part of a 10% off discount Overstock was running for a few days AND had free shipping. I found a coupon online for another 15% off. All told, I got two beautiful nightstands with near-perfect customer reviews for a grand total of $222.98. They’re exactly what I want and WELL worth the wait.
Susan says
We have used this strangely for 45 years. We mention this fact before listening to sales people. So if they are high pressure salesman and their deal is only good for today they are out of luck.
We haven’t seen one time they couldn’t make the same deal, or better, until you buy weeks later.
Andrea says
good call — I usually just turn the sales people away right away because I don’t want to “waste” my time listening to them.
BB says
We have long had a rule that if a salesperson starts the ‘hard sale’ or ‘price only good for today’ jabber, we interrupt the person as to why we are leaving, and leave the store and do not return. There are too many good places to shop for something without having to put up with that nonsense.
Andrea says
yes, totally agree with this. No one is going to “gimmick” me into buying something!