Making Money Monday: Avoiding the sales (again)

OK, so I’ve gone a little off-piste with this one here. But who wants to be thinking about getting a new job on Boxing Day? Instead I’m sure the sales are drawing lots of attention… I don’t often do re-runs of posts, but hey, I’m probably stuffing my face with leftover turkey today, so here’s the post I did about avoiding the post-Christmas sales at the start of the year. A stance which remains true at the end of 2011 also.

P.S. Of my list of ‘must haves’ at the start of 2011 (see below) I only purchased the stickers for my map and a suit.

Depending on which newspaper you read…

a.) Consumers have raced out to the post-Chrimble sales and spent like a bunch of banshees

or,

b.) sales have been disappointing and signal a stagnant start to 2011

Either way, this year, I am trying my best to avoid the post-Christmas sales. Not least because my Christmas money is going towards the rather large UGG shaped hole which has been left in my finances, but also because I know that if I do drag myself down to the local shopping mall I’ll get a case of ‘bargain fever’.

‘Bargain fever’ goes a little like this… you leave the house with a pre-determined list of items which you wish to purchase, for me this is:

1.) Slipper boots
2.) Pyjamas
3.) Stickers for my new world map (so I can show where I’ve been!)
4.) New work bag from Clarks
5.) New suit

Upon entering your local shopping centre you start looking for these items with the best of intentions, before you know it you’ve purchased a whole bundle of things (none of which were on your original list) because they were bargains. Cue budget well and truly blown.

To be fair, if you’ve got funds available, this time of year can be a great opportunity to rush out and grab some great bargains (Check out Liberty London Girl’s fabulous guide to great sale buys if you are thinking of hitting the sales) and in some respects for me it would be a great time to try to get the items on my list for less. But I’m aware that I need to start 2011 in the manner I want to continue the year in, which means moving away from justifying my purchases with the famous phrase ‘it was a barrrgain’ and moving towards spending less. How boring.