Last night I dreamed I was in a field filled with shoe racks. They were in a bit of disarray, but nothing close to the clearance section at Nordstrom the other day. We could hardly see the floor through the mounds of shoes! In my dream there were at least 3 different styles of red leather boots that I was oh so anxious to try on. Oh, to dream!!!
More Keys to Buying Success
Can you tell I did not check the red snakeskin boots off my list on Monday??? I have had those boots on my list for years now. I had to dump my beloved first pair because I wore them till their death. That is OK. Incomplete success is not failure. That is one of my Power Buying principles;
#5. Keep a Running Shopping List.
Actually keep several of them. You can have lists by specific stores, specific categories of things (kids clothes, groceries, beauty products, etc), or however it suits you. I keep my lists in my phone’s “Reminders” section so it is always on me to update and reference as needed.
#6. Eyes on the Budget.
There is nothing like the guilt of buyers remorse to ruin the satisfaction of a great day of shopping. Before you open those doors into the shiny land of temptation, have a very clear idea of what your budget is and don’t cross the lines with your purchases. Budgets are tricky things and they are something you should be very realistic about.
If you need a great quality pair of stylish and comfortable pumps to wear 3 days a week at the office, you are going to be hard pressed to find what you need at Payless Shoes. Those shoes are an investment and require a bump up in the budget. You may need to consider cutting something else off of the list to make room for the power pumps. At the same time, just because you think you NEED a Coach handbag, does not mean you really do. There are lots of great quality bags out there at lower price points. Wisdom is knowing that putting yourself in consumer debt, or a compromised position, over a handbag, is complete nonsense.
#7. Map Your Plan of Attack.
When you combine your shopping list with your budget, you can work on a map of stores you plan to visit that day. Plan your route around your key store. We knew we wanted to go to a mall because I needed to go to Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret. We chose one of our two favorite malls because it also had the Ecco store my husband needed to go to to find his golf shoes. Your list may not include a mall, but map a route based on your highest priority purchases for the day.
Once we got into the mall, we headed straight for a directory, located all of the different places we wanted to go to and then mapped the most efficient way to get to each one with out zig-zagging all over the place. We went to a mall out of town after Christmas that was small enough that this did not really matter, but in big malls, you will save your feet and your strength if you do this ahead of time.
#8. Reward Yourself.
Remember the pretzel? Again I say, Wetzel’s are the best! Give yourself a break and take a quick breather in the day middle of your excursion.
And Finally, in my third installment, I we will get to finding and trying on those clothes!
Delisle Designs
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