Impulse Control - When It Backfires

outlander on 25/05/2020 - 12:16

So, we're probably all aware of dangers of a lack of impulse control. Doing things on the spur of the moment, allowing yourself to be persuaded to buy things you never intended to etc etc. Living for the moment can be fun, but making no plans for the future isn't exactly beneficial towards long term success.

But what about when impulse control goes wrong? When you delay buying something, maybe because you thought it'd be cheaper in the future, and then the situation changes and either it's much more expensive, or not available at all. Which brings us to the question:

What is your impulse control like, and when has it backfired?

Alternatively, have you ever bought something on impulse, and it's turned out to be a fantastic decision?

General Discussion

Comments

  • xeion on 25/05/2020 - 12:20
    +3

    One would be not getting a Switch for $315/$329 from Amazon (not having Prime at the time)

    • outlander on 25/05/2020 - 13:07

      That would sting a bit. Especially if you were waiting for prime because it has free postage, only to find out they give you free postage for $39+ spend for non members.

  • ddhar on 25/05/2020 - 12:48
    +3

    Probably too much impulse control. I take too long to decide to buy and often lose interest by then.

    The few times I have 'let go' was when I purchased a Sony lens. Coupled with discounted gift card from workplace, I ended paying $100 below market price. I was going to flip it on the market but it's now one of my main stable horse.

    • Blue Cat on 25/05/2020 - 13:36

      I take too long to decide to buy and often lose interest by then.

      I used to be sad about this too, but then I realized it is a blessing in disguise because I still ended up living great and found other fun things to do besides buying some crap I really wanted.

      Especially now with covid panic and me being stood down, Centrelink telling me to bugger off and use my savings first (being punished for having an emergency fund and saving money for bad times like a responsible person with a bit of common sense, love ya aussie gov!) and company not eligible for JobKeeper, I only buy stuff I actually use everyday or food.

      No more shitty $1-$10 AliExpress trinkets every few days. Impulse control in overdrive!

    • wittyusername on 25/05/2020 - 15:11

      Which lens?

      • ddhar on 25/05/2020 - 15:18

        SEL85F18

        Great accompaniment to my wide lenses.

        • wittyusername on 25/05/2020 - 16:42

          Oh yeah, I've heard great things! I was hoping to jump ship to Sony this year but everything has had a price hike!

          • ddhar on 25/05/2020 - 17:08
            +1

            @wittyusername: The 85mm is a great short telephoto and couples very well with a wide lens for a travel kit. The manual focus toggle is handy too for times when the AF struggles (at night, for action) or when you just want MF.

  • tsunamisurfer on 25/05/2020 - 12:50
    +11

    I didn't buy the DJI Mavic from Bunnings despite reading about it early after it was posted.

    I thought it would be wasting time as it would not be honoured.

    Let that be a buy now ask later lesson.

  • OzCheapo on 25/05/2020 - 12:54
    +2

    A Cheeseburger. Thanks to upsells, I end up ordering a full blown meal and add another 1500 Cal. I try to compensate by doing 100 extra push-ups but have never been able to reconcile or achieve redemption.

    OH I misread the question. Forget about this.

  • vikvance on 25/05/2020 - 13:01

    When you delay buying something

    Isn't that just procrastination ?

  • tempus on 25/05/2020 - 13:23
    +1

    I really wish I bought an SSD when all those deals were happening a year ago. My computer's been getting slower so I keep kicking myself when it takes minutes to boot up.

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 25/05/2020 - 14:08

    My weakness is desire to travel and eat well, particularly fine dining / gastronomy. If there is an opportunity to do either, normally I will just go for it.

    With the current restrictions globally, my finacial situation has impoved but my mental wellness has taken a significant negative impact. Just saw my psychologist via video last Friday for our once a month session :o

  • Bid Sniper on 25/05/2020 - 14:12
    +2

    I'm probably too conservative, trick someone told me was to imagine handing over that amount in physical cash for whatever crap you want to buy.

  • brad1-8tsi on 25/05/2020 - 16:03
    +1

    Last week. Ikea lounge reduced by 50%. I decided to wait and look at it with my GF the next day even though she doesn't live with me. Next day all sold out.

  • DarthAntz on 25/05/2020 - 16:09
    +3

    I make a list of all the things I want to buy/sell/upgrade in January, with the aim of purchasing or doing it in September/October.

    Most of the list gets deleted by the time September comes around. Don't need it anymore. This saves and limits the impulse buys.

  • Ghost47 on 25/05/2020 - 17:59

    My impulse control used to be horrible. I used to spend money idiotically buying things whenever I wanted to even if I didn't really need it or because I felt like spending some money. For example Collector's Editions of video games just because JB had a Collector's Edition in stock (I was a real sucker for those).

    These days I don't pull the trigger so impulsively anymore and my motto has changed to "only pay what I am willing to pay for something" (and mostly when it's on sale as well, I never buy RRP where possible).

    I guess it's backfired when I've waited to decide for too long and something sells out, or the sale ends, but it's not a big deal to me anymore because I'll wait for another deal to roll around (e.g. Nintendo Switch). Water off a duck's back really.

    I have bought a few things here and there on impulse which have turned out to be pretty good but that's just because it was a good deal (such as a really cheap down jacket I saw in Anaconda, $30).

  • richmond12 on 26/05/2020 - 15:33

    Should have got those Dyson supersonic deals last year. Havent seen a deal for like 6 months or more.

  • outlander on 03/06/2020 - 12:36

    Well, it happened. I saw something I wanted, but delayed getting it, and now its gone.

    I thought I was playing it smart, delaying buying something I didn't immediately need, waiting for an ebay promotion to come along as it was so close to EOFY. And it did, with this.

    But what was once a multitude of sellers selling the same product, is now a ghost town
    All
    Gone
    No
    More

  • The Value on 04/06/2020 - 19:58

    On OzBargain, PS4 Pro with Fortnite code for about $350~. Told myself wasn't cheap enough.

    Fortnite Code alone was worth about $150 on eBay.

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