Today is Cyber Monday where all the online retailers reduce their stock to shift it before Christmas. We take a look at what happens to couples when they get caught up in the buzz of a bargain.
Put the feelers out- To see if your partner is willing to go to the shops with you. You bribe them with a meal afterwards or the promise of a shop they like and they usually succumb to your wishes.
Spot the something you want- Pick it up, check the label several times, make all the right noises and before you know it you're thinking about taking it to the till.
Discuss how it could improve your lives- You justify buying it because of all the good it can bring you. Deep down you know you don't need it and probably wouldn't want it if it was full price- but it's cheap. Once you decide you want one it may not be such a bargain.
Imagine where you'll put it- You have no idea whether it will fit in your home or not but you talk about where you'll put it to show it off to best effect. If you both agree on position- you're good to go.
Measure it- With your hands- you don't carry a tape measure in your pocket so you have no idea if it will actually fit- but you try and give yourselves a rough idea of where it will reach and how far it will expand into the space. Totally useless of course but it makes you look like you know what you're talking about.
If it's a big purchase- You work out how much you will have to cut back in the next few months to make up for the large expense in one go. Then you never stick to it and your joint account buffer/savings continues to suffer.
Talk about how much money you've saved- You probably wouldn't have brought it if it weren't a bargain so you've saved nothing but it's important for you both to talk about the discount to make yourselves feel better about buying it. You tell everyone about it too so they can share their latest bargains with you and you don't feel so bad for spending your money frivolously.
Get the item home- Dump everything else and immediately start to unwrap it and put it in the designated place.
Get angry-That nothing is ever as easy as it appears on the box. Tools get thrown, profanities are exchanged and you wonder if it was even worth it.
The novelty wears off- After you've had the item for a week or so, you don't feel the excitement you once did. You actually regret the purchase now and realise that you should have bought sensibly rather than because it was marginally cheaper than normal. You come to hate it but neither of you can be bothered to take it back.
By Lucy Moore | Female First
