Buyer's Remorse?

[sakigt]

Havent felt this way in a while...

Last weekend I found myself with my mom redoing our contract with Tmobile. She needed a new phone (the humidity had ruined her current one) so she got a durable $50 one.

I dont know what was wrong with me, but at the same time I purchased a new one for $150! What was I thinking? I even like my old phone more than the new one!? I have 14 days to change my mind so this weekend its going right back to the store.

Ever had a lapse in judgement like that?

[poundwise]

No. And you should be flogged.

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by sakigt

Ever had a lapse in judgement like that?

For me, I think the years 1996 - 2002 were one giant lapse in judgement. BAH!

[sakigt]

Originally Posted by poundwise

No. And you should be flogged.

Good morning to you too, sunshine.

[PRICEPLUS]

A little lapse in judgement but you corrected it quickly. Good for you!!!

[boefixepa]

Just be greatful you can fix it! Many times you can't do so, at least not easily like this!

[Broken Arrow]

Originally Posted by sakigt

Good morning to you too, sunshine.

Hehehhehee.

[lgslgs]

Glad you thought about it and made a decision to do something about it while you could. A lot of folks would rather stick with a bad decision rather than admit that they made a mistake.

I tend to put all possible purchases on a list before I shop for them, and add in a required 1 - 3 months "think about it" time for just about everything from a new blender to a replacement egg slicer! After a few days or weeks go by, most of my wish list stuff seems less and less important. After doing this for a while I can see when a purchase desires crop out of need, or when they crop up for other reasons - and know my weak points and how best to work with them.

One of our real weak spots is home repair and improvement. We believe in fixing things early so that we are fixing small problems, but we've started building in more "think about it" time to allow us to consider more creative ways to solve the problem of the moment. That's led us to considerably better buying decisions with our repairs and improvements.

Nice job on your savings choice!

Lynda

[Ima saver]

Yes,I have done that. I was real bad about shopping on qvc for a while. I did send some purchases back but not as many as I should have. Now it goes back instantly if I don't like it, plus, I have almost quit watching the show!

[jodi]

Yes - I let my DH convince me that he could get a new car. NEW?? What was I thinking? We are still paying it off. A gently used car would have saved us several thousand. Live and learn.
(not that there is anything wrong with new cars - but they just don't have the value to me that the money would when I can get something comparable for much less)

[jodi]

Originally Posted by sakigt

She needed a new phone (the humidity had ruined her current one)

COMPLETELY off topic here...but interesting nonetheless. This summer my brother-in-law managed to drop his phone in the toilet (don't ask how - I didn't ask for the details) on the same day my mother-in-law left her digital camera in the bottom of a picnic basket in which ice had melted. Two "ruined" pieces of equipment. Luckily, DH's uncle (electrical genius) took them both, put them in the oven on the lowest temp (maybe 150 or so?) with the door open. They both dried out and they both work now. Just a neat little nugget to tuck away in your memory banks - but you have to react quickly after they get wet, or else it will be irreparably damaged. The comment about humidity made me think of this.

[Broken Arrow]

Two "ruined" pieces of equipment. Luckily, DH's uncle (electrical genius) took them both, put them in the oven on the lowest temp (maybe 150 or so?) with the door open.

Wow, and that didn't damage the two electronics in any other way? Genius indeed! I'll have to keep that one in mind.

[LuxLiving]

Buyer's Remorse - oh yeah, I've had some - like the Toyota Forerunner we bought years back on which the payments were more than my house payments by a good 200.00 a month. OMG! I let DH talk me into that too! Don't get me wrong, it was mine and I loved driving it - it was the most solid vehichle I've ever driven, but the payments...more than my house...still can't believe I was that stoooooopid! But - I was.

Here's hoping I am smarter now!

(But, we aren't going to talk about all the thousands of books I've bought over the years, are we?. OH No, we are definitely not going to talk about THAT! )

[tinapbeana]

i've had buyers remorse of all shapes, sizes, and colors. just about anything from 1996-2002 is going to fall into this category (oh, the crafty years, spendy, debty years...).

my only way of avoiding buyer's remorse for some things (like clothes), is to create it intentionally. i apparently have this habit of waiting until nothing fits or is publicly presentable and then trying to replace said items in one fell swoop. sadly, i HATE clothes shopping, and dressing rooms, and i specifically despise waddling into a dressing room with umpteen thousand pieces just to find one that fits. YUK! and unless i wear a couple of layers when i go shopping (too hot!!), it's sometimes hard to tell if what i'm buying is going to work with what i already own and therefore give me more bang for my buck.

so, i buy several options that pass the 'hold in front of me on a hanger test', go home, try everything on and match with items i already own. doesn't fit? back in the bag. my mirror tells me that something that looks great in the front is a train wreck in the back? back in the bag. color makes me look like i'm going to vomit (but was of course beautiful in the store)? back in the bag. can't wear it with at least 3 of my existing tops or bottoms? back in the bag. i usually wind up keeping about a quarter of what i originally picked out, if that much. take everything back to the store and truthfully tell the cashier that your mirror at home was brutally honest and these items didn't fit or look the way you wanted them too.

for me, i find having a bag of stuff to take back makes me more likely to do it, rather than just one item sitting on the shelf waiting for me. that bag is chock full of money, you know.

[ajsave]

As a graduate student looking back on my undergraduate years, I can honestly say that there was a lot of buyer's remorse on my part. It was very easy getting caught up in wanting the latest/coolest gadget that everyone else seemed to be enjoying. I bought a lot of crap that I should not have. All in all, throughout those four years, I probably wasted about $600.

[lrjohnson]

I think so long about larger purcheases that it helps avoid most remorse. I've been "about" to buy an Ipod for almost 2 years now. I'm not a big impulse purchase person.

The trick for me is when I do have remorse, to go ahead and dump the item. That tub of grits in the cupboard won't get more exciting when it gets dusty-I have to admit it wasn't my thing and be willing to lose that seventy nine cents.

[cschin4]

If I am buying a car or large item (furniture, etc) I walk out of the store and go home and sleep on it before I purchase or sign anything. Funny how the next day, the thing I wanted no longer seems so urgent. I have saved alot of money buy learning to "walk away" whenever I felt pressured or if I thought I could be spending too much. And, if anyone ever tells me this "deal" is only "good for the day" then I immediately leave because something else will always come along.

[Bookie]

Originally Posted by lrjohnson

The trick for me is when I do have remorse, to go ahead and dump the item. That tub of grits in the cupboard won't get more exciting when it gets dusty-I have to admit it wasn't my thing and be willing to lose that seventy nine cents.

This is an important one for me as well, the need to cut my loses and move on. I'm bad about holding onto a poor choice long after I have acknowledged the mistake.

[lrjohnson]

Originally Posted by Bookie

This is an important one for me as well, the need to cut my loses and move on. I'm bad about holding onto a poor choice long after I have acknowledged the mistake.

One of the most freeing decisions for me was to get ahead and ditch gifts i didn't like. I realized that having something I disliked in the house didn't mean I loved that person more! I love the thought, and appreciate the idea of the gift....but if I don't like it it goes. If I'm directly asked I'd be very kind but honest. That may sound bad to some, but the alternative, piles of stuff I really don't like, didn't work at all for me and didn't necessarily prevent hurt feelings.....the gifter doesn't know the difference between dusty in my closrt and on its way to Goodwill.

[shengmei]

Originally Posted by ajsave

As a graduate student looking back on my undergraduate years, I can honestly say that there was a lot of buyer's remorse on my part. It was very easy getting caught up in wanting the latest/coolest gadget that everyone else seemed to be enjoying. I bought a lot of crap that I should not have. All in all, throughout those four years, I probably wasted about $600.

Same here.......Especially with makeup. You can't even wear makeup in a research lab.

I probably own more makeup than any other grad student....LOL.