3 Smart Shopping Resolutions to Make for the New Year
With the arrival of a new year, there is often plenty of new years resolutions made. These resolutions can be related to health, such as finally going to the school gym or stop eating out on a daily basis, or something more material, like stop impulse buying unnecessary items every chance you get.
If you found yourself struggling to pay for things you actually needed, like rent or car payments, but still able to eat out with friends and buy whatever you wanted, you may want to consider making a few shopping resolutions to start (and keep) in the new year.
Start off with a clear budget
Maybe one of the biggest problems you had last year was the lack of a clear, outlined budget for your spending. Without a budget, it’s easy to miss where you are spending a lot of money, especially if it is in little increments (like spending a few dollars a day on a small coffee). Start off with the larger, more obvious things you need to budget for that don’t change, like rent or car payments. This is the money you absolutely have to set aside and will need every month.
Next, give yourself a budget for groceries. Factor in how much you cook in relation to eating out. Don’t give yourself a huge budget for groceries when you know you hate to cook and you won’t make an effort to change that in the new year. Instead give yourself a realistic budget for groceries on what you would actually spend money on and consume, basics like dairy, proteins, vegetables, etc. Know when you can save money – skip out on buying junk food like chips or ice cream, which tends to cost more and fills you up less than more wholesome, healthier ingredients.
Make a budget for personal spending – set aside a reasonable amount for buying items you personally want, like clothes, makeup, or games. Doing this will help you think out what you really need versus want you want, and aid you in narrowing down the item you want to most and genuinely want to spend money on.
Stop buying things on impulse
One of the worst things about online shopping is that you can do it anytime, anywhere. You can open up your laptop and browse your favorite online retailer during lecture, mindlessly adding things to your shopping cart. You can look at the total and think it really isn’t that much and those jeans are never on clearance, so you might as well go through with the purchase. Moments like these can happen weekly, and add up after a while and it’s something you can realize when looking at your bank account total and see it lowered drastically after all the “small” impulse purchases.
It might be hard to resist buying a cup of coffee here or there, adding a few chocolate bars into your shopping cart when at the register at the grocery store, but make it a habit to remind yourself to resist these impulse buys. Instead, make a wishlist as you see things you want to buy, but can’t fully rationalize spending money on. A new pair of headphones when you already have a pair that still functions. New markers when yours still work perfectly fine.
This wishlist will come in handy when you do have extra spending money, or a coupon to use. Remember those times where your loved ones ask you want for Christmas or your birthday only for you to come up blank? Your wishlist that consists of what could have been impulse buys can be handed over to friends and family when you can’t remember things you wanted in the past.
Learn the true meaning of treating yourself
When you have a clear budget and are avoiding impulse buys, you deserve to treat yourself. When it comes to treating yourself properly, there’s a certain time and amount to think of.
If you treat yourself every day or every week, it loses its meaning. It turns more into meaningless spending when you can lose appreciation for something you expect, or you may get so used to it that you don’t think of it as treating yourself and instead think of it as a routine.
Instead, set goals for yourself. If you notice that you spent less on eating out over the course a month, get that extra money and spend it on a pair of shoes you’ve been wanting. If you’re struggling to stay on budget with so many new makeup or game releases, think of goals you can work toward in order to “earn” whatever you want. Spend time studying for an upcoming exam or put in extra hours at work, if you meet your expectations (a certain grade or an amount on a paycheck), treat yourself to whatever you think for.
In the new year, work toward saving your money, but also remind yourself that it’s okay to reasonably treat yourself when you feel like you fully deserve it.
Follow Uloop
Apply to Write for Uloop News
Join the Uloop News TeamDiscuss This Article
More Uloop Campus Life Articles
- Is Group Studying More Effective?
- What You Need to Know About Moving Mid-Semester
- Dos and Don'ts for the Night Before Midterms
- How To Decorate Your Apartment Walls
BU HOUSING LISTINGS
See all BU Housing ListingsBU Housing Listings
WRITE FOR ULOOP
Apply to Write for Uloop NewsGET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
TOP COLLEGE NEWS
TOP BU Campus Life Q&A
BROWSE OTHER COLLEGES
- By CollegeBoston CollegeBoston UniversityBrandeis UniversityHarvard UniversityUniversity of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNortheastern UniversityTufts UniversityClark UniversityUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellUniversity of Massachusetts-BostonWorcester State CollegeBentley CollegeWheaton CollegeMount Holyoke CollegeLesley UniversityHampshire CollegeSuffolk UniversityWestfield State CollegeUniversity of Massachusetts DartmouthWilliams CollegeAmerican International CollegeAmherst CollegeAnna Maria CollegeAssumption CollegeBabson CollegeBay Path CollegeBecker CollegeBerklee College of MusicBoston Architectural CollegeBridgewater State CollegeCambridge CollegeElms CollegeCollege of the Holy CrossCurry CollegeDean CollegeEastern Nazarene CollegeEmerson CollegeEmmanuel CollegeEndicott CollegeFisher CollegeFitchburg State CollegeFramingham State CollegeGordon CollegeGordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryLasell CollegeMassachusetts College of Art and DesignMassachusetts College of Liberal ArtsMassachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health ScienceMassachusetts Maritime AcademyMerrimack CollegeMount Ida CollegeNew England School of LawNewbury CollegeNichols CollegeRegis CollegeSalem State CollegeSimmons CollegeSmith CollegeSpringfield CollegeStonehill CollegeThe New England Institute of ArtUniversity of Massachusetts Medical School WorcesterWellesley CollegeWentworth Institute of TechnologyWestern New England CollegeWestfield State CollegeWheelock CollegeWorcester Polytechnic InstituteAndover Newton Theological SchoolBenjamin Franklin Institute of TechnologyBerkshire Community College Bristol Community College Bunker Hill Community College Cape Cod Community CollegeGreenfield Community College Massachusetts Bay Community CollegeMassasoit Community College Middlesex Community College (MA)Mount Wachusett Community CollegeNorth Shore Community College Northern Essex Community CollegeQuinsigamond Community College Springfield Technical Community CollegeAilano School of CosmetologyAlexander AcademyAssabet Valley Regional Technical SchoolBancroft School of Massage TherapyBay State School of TechnologyBentley UniversityBlackstone Valley Vocational Regional School DistrictBlue Hills Regional Technical SchoolBoston Baptist CollegeBoston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis IncBranford Hall Career Institute-Springfield CampusCatherine Hinds Institute of EstheticsCharles H McCann Technical SchoolConway School of Landscape DesignCortiva Institute-BostonDiGrigoli School of CosmetologyDiman Regional Technical InstituteEINE IncEmpire Beauty School-BostonEmpire Beauty School-FraminghamEmpire Beauty School-HyannisEmpire Beauty School-LowellEmpire Beauty School-MaldenEpiscopal Divinity SchoolEverest Institute-BrightonEverest Institute-ChelseaFINE Mortuary CollegeFranklin W Olin College of EngineeringGreater Lowell Technical SchoolHallmark Institute of PhotographyHellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of TheologyHenris School of Hair DesignHult International Business SchoolITT Technical Institute-NorwoodITT Technical Institute-WilmingtonJolie Hair and Beauty Academy-LudlowJupiter Beauty AcademyLa Baron Hairdressing Academy-BrocktonLa Baron Hairdressing Academy-New BedfordLe Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts-CambridgeLincoln Technical Institute-BrocktonLincoln Technical Institute-SomervilleLowell Academy Hairstyling InstituteMansfield Beauty Schools-QuincyMansfield Beauty Schools-SpringfieldMarinello School of Beauty-NorthamptonMassachusetts General Hospital Dietetic InternshipMassachusetts School of LawMedical Professional InstituteMGH Institute of Health ProfessionsMildred Elley-Pittsfield CampusMillennium Training InstituteMontserrat College of ArtMotoring Technical Training InstituteNational Aviation Academy of New EnglandNational Graduate School of Quality ManagementNew England College of Business and FinanceNew England School of AcupunctureNew England Tractor Trailer Training School of MassachusettsNorth Bennet Street SchoolNorthpoint Bible CollegePope St John XXIII National SeminaryPorter and Chester Institute of CantonPorter and Chester Institute of ChicopeePorter and Chester Institute of WestboroughPorter and Chester Institute of WoburnPortfolio Center - WalthamRob Roy Academy-Fall RiverRob Roy Academy-TauntonSalter College-ChicopeeSalter College-West BoylstonSalter School-New BedfordSchool of the Museum of Fine Arts-BostonShawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical SchoolSignature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of NursingSoutheastern Technical InstituteSouthern Worcester County Regional Voc School DistrictSpa Tech Institute-IpswichSpa Tech Institute-PlymouthThe New England Conservatory of MusicToni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-WorcesterUniversity of Phoenix-MassachusettsUrban College of Boston
- By State
- By City