Are you a regretful shopper? I am. Every time I shop, even if it's for something in particular that I've been saving up for, after I make the purchase, I always notice if the item I bought is a better deal somewhere else. Often, I'll do this for months afterward, regretting having bought the item at the time/price I did.
We bought bunk beds and mattresses this last month with our tax return money. We needed a new bed for two of our children, so we decided to buy a bunk bed for them to share. When we found one we liked, we decided to buy two and replace the other bunk bed we already had so that they matched. After finally buying the beds and setting them up, I got an ad in the mail from another furniture store advertising a much nicer looking bunk bed set, one that will divide into separate twin beds (something we didn't consider and currently don't have) for only about $75 more per bed than what we paid. It looks like a good deal. The place we bought our current bunk beds has a 90 day return policy, so technically, we could take apart the beds and take them back with our receipt, but that sounds like so much work! Plus they are pretty good beds and we were happy with our purchase at the time.
I do that with cars too. My parents always did it. They would buy a car and then constantly be on the lookout for a better deal.
And not just big purchases, but little things--shoes, clothes, sometimes even groceries. I just kind of hate spending money, so am constantly on the lookout for good deals, even after the fact.
Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else regret making a big purchase, even if it's one you saved up for and paid cash, just because it was so big?
5 comments:
Not me, but that is SO my husband. I make quick decisions. We need something, I find it at a reasonable price, I buy it, end of story. He researches for HOURS. I refuse to take him grocery shopping. I know this about him, so I let him take his time. He usually comes back to my original idea. Don't get him started on how much we paid for our house, buying in 2007 just before the bubble burst. Honestly, when we combine both our ways and compromise, it works out pretty well.
I totally do this ALL the time! Your bunk beds are from Ikea, right? I just bought a sectional from Ikea and turns out, it's so uncomfortable and one of the springs even popped out when we were putting it together! I sold it on Craig's List b/c I couldn't stand the thought of getting someone to watch the kids b/c they won't fit in the van with the sectional, loading the sectional up in my van, and driving all the way to Ikea to return it. So, after selling it I was lost $100, but I was just so overwhelmed at the thought of all the hassle to return it, I didn't care. BUT, another reason why I didn't want it, besides the uncomfortable factor, was I just couldn't feel good about spending that much money on something I didn't love.
So, yes, I do exactly what you do!
Yeah, the bunk beds are from IKEA, and they're nice and sturdy and wood, which was what we were looking for, but then I saw at a local store here a bunk bed that changes to twin beds that is only $75 more and looks much more durable. Plus, we'll be needing individual twin beds at some point, we should have thought of this when we went bunk bed shopping! Ugh!
I usually don't experience buyer's remorse, since Brent and I are so fanatical about checking and researching before we buy. We usually do tons of online research, check craigslist, the penny saver, and then after days or weeks or even months, we'll go out purchase what we need.
As you saw from my blog post, we purchased a car today. We've done so much research and studying of cars and the market that I don't think we'll regret our purchase. If we do, we have 90 days to return it. So that's good.
The only thing I ever regret buying is our mini-van. Brent was in the States while we were in Sweden. He didn't have much time. He got a good car, but I feel like we paid too much for it. But there isn't much we can do about it now.
I am definitely like this and sometimes it can really bug me that I second guess everything I buy. Oh well, maybe it's good because I don't spend as much as I would if I didn't have this happen.
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