Six Questions to Ask Your Self Before Buying Something New 2by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 22 Oct 2009 07:10 AM If you want to get ahead financially, you have to spend less. One great way to do this is to avoid purchases that aren't really wanted or needed. To do this, it is helpful to ask yourself six different questions before you actually purchase something. This will help you determine if you really want or really need the item, or if there is a way to get the item for free or for a lower cost. You can also find out if the item is worth the expense. In yesterday's blog post, I counted down the first three questions to ask yourself before buying something new. Now let us continue with the remaining three questions. 4. Do I already have something that will work instead? This is a good question to ask because sometimes with a little creativity, you can adapt something you already have in place of what you need. Here is just one small example. My kids spotted those TV pillows at the local mall. These are pillows that you can use when laying on the floor watching television or playing a game. Instead of buying two of these pillows, I simply took a couple of leftover baby boppy pillows, freshened them up and gave them to the kids. They love these pillows because they can also use them as neck pillows, as well as laying across them or sitting in them. 5. Can I do without it? Really honestly ask yourself if you can do without the item. That doesn't mean that you can't ever get anything that you might think you need, but chances are if you have gotten along without it before you can do without it again. I asked this very question myself yesterday when I was tempted to purchase a new movie for myself. We already have plenty of movies, and I'm probably better off doing something other than watching movies, anyway. 6. Is it a need or a want? Being honest with yourself about whether something is a need or a want can put things into perspective. That is not to say that you can't have any wants, of course, but understanding that something is not a need can help you make the right choice for that situation. In general, shelter and food are needs. There may be other needs such as transportation, but for the most part, things we usually consider needs are really wants. You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here! Related Articles: Six Questions to Ask Your Self Before Buying Something New Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags frugal living, shopping, save money Discuss this article
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