My daughter grabbed a basket at the supermarket.
“Let’s get a cart in case we want to get something big,” I said.
“But this basket holds less. I’m trying to save you money,” she insisted.
And so we shopped with a basket.
We found a few things that weren’t on our list (pretty typical when shopping with a child). However, since we had less space and had to carry everything, many purchases were averted.
The basket forced us to carefully consider our purchases. We stuck to our shopping list like glue.
Which got me thinking… when were shopping carts invented? Shopping carts first rolled into stores in 1937. The concept was delightfully simple: make shopping easy for customers so that they’ll visit often and buy more.
Ah, but of course!
If you want to put the brakes on your spending (and improve your upper body strength), go old school. Use a basket.
What tactics do you use to buy less?
Genius…so simple and yet so useful. I’m making the switch. And I need the upper body workout too!
xo jana
I do this when I’m only “supposed” to buy a few things too… Keeps me on the “straight n’ narrow”!
Often I walk to the grocery store. Knowing that I have to lug it all home prevents me from going overboard. I like the basket idea though and am going to try it. If it’s too heavy in the store, it’s definitely too heavy for the trek home.
I like the basket idea. I, like Lisa, control myself with the knowledge that I have to carry everything I buy home. AND it all has to fit in my backpack. Helps keep purchases in check, though it also means I have to grocery shop more often, which sometimes leads me to buy more afterall.
Yes, using a backpack is a great idea. I do this with my bike sometimes – I had one trip where I overstuffed the backpack (heavy!) and I learned my lesson (won’t do that again).
I too limit myself when I’m making a trip for only a few things. In fact, when I run into the store for one thing, I purposely do not get a basket or cart. I am limiting myself to what I can carry with my two hands. It’s a silly trick but it helps me with impulse spending!
Buying just what you can carry, really limits spending! Good idea.