The #1 Reason to Stop Price-Shopping
The other day, I received an interesting offer in the mail. It was from Papa Johns: 1 Large 3-topping pizza, 12 Wings, 1 Large 2 Liter Soda, and 1 Large Brownie Tray. I couldn't believe the price! $25. It looked enticing and the old me would have quickly snatched that deal. In fact, I once drove wild for coupons and discounts. At fast-food outlets, I would relish at the opportunity of meeting the dollar meal while sitting with a mouth-watering expression at the drive-thru. With great bewilderment, I would ask myself "You can get all this for $5?!?" The only problem was that I didn't realize the long-term effect it would have in my life. My health and wealth was at stake and I was falling into a trap that consumes many people. Price shopping. Yes, you'll still see little grannies at the supermarket fishing through their purses to find their wrinkled coupons that often stick to the conveyor belts. However, if you live by the price, you die by the price. If you're buying cheap food like I did, you're forcing yourself to settle for a below-average meal. Sure, it's fast and cheap, but you're risking your life to save a couple dollars. Keep this habit for a few years and the sirens of life will go on.
And you stomach will expand to enormous and uncomfortable proportions. I won't go into all the details of all the detriments of eating fast food, but I can tell you for sure that French fries are available right now (usually 24 hours) in most major areas. You can bet that thousands of people eating them as you read. But price-shopping doesn't stop at food. Most coupons and discounts you find will usually will be sent to your front door. The majority of them are marketed to price-shoppers who love to visit stores as they pick up more shoddy products.
Being cheap is bad. Moreover, there's a difference between being cheap and thrifty. Cheap is when you're skimping because you're afraid of being broke. Thrifty is just getting your goods at a great price. Be thrifty, not cheap. If you don't understand what I'm saying by now, I fully understand. Many of us, including myself, have been taught at a young age to be cheap. We've been taught by people who advocate poverty. They advise you to look away when you see shiny objects and frown upon those who rock classy mink coats. Let's take another example. My personal woman (or wife) love jewelry. She used to get mail from Charming Charlie's, which was a great place to shop when we started out many years ago, but not now. At one point in our relationship, I enforced that if she kept running to the store with her coupons to get $5 or $10 off, she's going to have all of this junk jewelry that will rust in months. Eventually, I had to muster up the courage and go to Tyson's Corner, our local major mall in Northern Virginia. At the mall, we bought jewelry for at least 10 times the amount of her previous offers at Charming Charlie's. Within one year, our income skyrocketed as we moved up several tax brackets. This just shows that when you invest in superior goods, it's worth the price. Instead of walking congested aisles at TJ Maxx or Ross's, we now get premier service at Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus. This is because we're going for the best products and service, not price. Where do you consciously put your money? What you focus on will expand. While most people are thinking about how they can pinch the penny that they have, they should consider expanding the dollars that they want.
If you want to be broke, keep thinking about the dollar menu. If you want to be rich, visit your nearest 5-Star restaurant once every month. It will prosper you.
Are you ready to forfeit your price-shopping habits?
It's worth the investment. You can easily go from having a $1 burger to $100 steak dinner. Trust me, I know from experience. Moral of the story? Don't be a price-shopper. Go for the good deals in life, but don't just buy because of price. Seek luxury experiences, even if you get the minimum. Stretch your mind by going for bigger things, instead of conforming to the little thoughts of the massive majority of price-shoppers.
And remember, there's always enough for everyone.
Daniel Ally
www.danielally.com
