Most people love to go shopping, especially women, but if your shopping habit is hurting your budget or you’re simply running out of room to store everything, it might be time to cut back a little.

Regardless of the reason you’re trying to visit your local mall less often, it doesn’t mean that you have to quit cold turkey. Below are some of the things that you should ask yourself before you buy that next dress or handbag.

10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying Something

1.  What Is the Real Reason Why I Want This?

If you truly need a new dress to attend a funeral or wedding, you should definitely buy one, but unless it’s something that’s necessary, you might discover other reasons for purchasing the item.

For instance, ask yourself if you’re buying this because of peer pressure, jealousy because someone else has it, or because of desired praise. Once you answer yourself truthfully, it should help you make the right decision.

2.  How Often Will I Wear/Use This Item?

It’s easy to fall in love with a dress or a new handbag, but if you seriously consider how often you’ll be using or wearing the item, it might make you step back and look at the product in a whole new light.

If you’re considering buying that $2,000 dress and you can only think of one occasion that you might wear it to, you need to decide if it’s truly worth it or not.

3.  Is the Only Reason I’m Buying This Because it’s on Sale?

Few people can resist a great sale, but even at a discount, if the sale is the only reason why you’re buying a certain product, it’s likely not going to be worth it in the end.

Ask yourself if you’d be interested in buying the product or would have any use for it if it was not on sale. That should answer the question and help you decide exactly what to do.

4.  Can I Buy the Product at Another Time?

In other words, can you wait to buy the product or is this an item that you feel you have to have right this second?

In most cases, you’ll realize that you do not, in fact, need this particular product at this exact moment. Most of the time, if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll realize that you can indeed wait to buy the product at a later date.

5.  Do I Already Have a Product That Is Similar?

If you really want that blue handbag with the bling on it, ask yourself if you already have a purse that is either blue or filled with bling.

If the answer is “yes,” you should consider putting it back and not buying it. On this note, it’s good to consider everything you buy to be a replacement item for something else. Otherwise, you just end up accumulating the same product over and over again.

6.  Can I Really Afford This Purchase?

People who live within their means are also better off financially and emotionally. It gives you great peace of mind to know that your finances are in order and you’re financially comfortable.

If you have to charge that item on a credit card, or if the money in your checking account will barely cover this purchase, you might want to reconsider buying it.

7.  Is This Item Available Elsewhere at a Cheaper Price?

Comparing prices at different stores can potentially save you a lot of money. If you’re anxious to purchase that pair of shoes right now but they’re a bit pricey, consider that you’ll likely get a better price if you just wait and if you look at other stores to compare different prices.

Again, you shouldn’t feel rushed to make the right decision because you may be able to save a lot of money if you wait.

8.  Do I Have Room in My Home for This Item?

If the item you wish to purchase is rather large or will otherwise take up a lot of room in your home, you need to think about the space in your home and whether it’s big enough to suit the item you want.

If you want to buy sandals in four different colors but the shoe section of your closet is already crowded, you might not have room for them after all.

9.  Is the Company’s Return Policy Any Good?

Few things are as frustrating as getting an item you’re excited about home and discovering it doesn’t fit or you just don’t like it after all.

If that happens to you, you’ll need to be familiar with the company’s return policy because it will directly affect how long you have to return it or if it’s non-returnable instead.

10.  Is the Item Easily Resold If I Decide That I Don’t Like it?

Some items have a great resale value and others don’t. If you already know that you might want to sell that item in the future, you’ll need to research the resale market so that you can know what you’re up against when the time comes.

Conclusion

Whether you wish to save some money or you’re running out of space in your home, it’s a good thing to consider certain things before your next shopping trip.

These things include your budget, if the product can be resold in the future, if you truly need the product, if the product is available elsewhere at a lower price, and if it’s possible for you to wait on the purchase, among others.