SHOW NOTES
This “Money With Mak and G” podcast episode, I look at the danger of impulse buying, how planning your purchases can help you avoid it, and the importance of spending less than you make.
With COVID stopping travel, Thanksgiving is going to be different this year but with vaccines on the way there is hope for the future.
This episode, I talk about how Dolly Parton helped the creation of the COVID vaccine, the dangers of impulse buying on Black Friday, and how we can make sure to use our money in the best possible way…
“If you spend more than you can afford it’s a recipe to make you unhappy.” – Ben Jones
“Be careful of the deadly impulse buy, it’s real and always waiting around the corner.” – Ben Jones
Time Stamps:
00:29 – How Thanksgiving will be different this year.
01:05 – How Dolly Parton helped create the COVID vaccine.
01:45 – The costs airlines have even when they’re not flying.
03:10 – The difference between looking rich and being rich.
04:21 – The danger of impulse buying.
05:40 – The importance of spending less than you make.
Resources:
Connect with Ben Jones:
TRANSCRIPT
Sitting here talking to you now I can hardly believe it’s already the holiday season. How can a year when so many of the things we normally fill our time with, which were taken away, have gone by SO fast!? Working at home, instead of commuting, school online instead of in the classroom, and so many things like movie theaters and non-essential stores shut down, but still time is flying by.
Thanksgiving is FOR SURE going to be a little different this year. It’s usually one of the busiest times of the year for travel. A great time to see family and friends, of course, but I don’t think anyone will miss those lines at airports or traffic on the roads. Maybe we’ll miss seeing some of the great holiday decorations in person, I know I will. But, my brother told me last night that it will slow things down for him, and take some of the stress out of the season to make sure to see everyone and do everything.
But, finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel, which as the saying goes, we hope it’s not a train! All that great news from companies like Pfizer and Moderna about a Covid 19 vaccine at last. And it turns out, one of the people we have to thank is none other than country legend Dolly Parton, who gave a LOT of money towards the research that made it happen. She loves Nashville and donated to research at Vanderbilt in Nashville which helped make it happen. What a crazy world. It’s shown me a lot about family, friends, people in general, the government and companies, right?
The prospect of a vaccine gave those companies that NEED you to be traveling a big boost. They are all having a pretty hard time with no customers while continuing to spend money. And a lot of them are still at risk of serious financial difficulties. Even with a whole airline’s fleet grounded, that airline still has expenses – salaries, insurance, plane costs, rent, and so on – that will eventually run out if they don’t also start to generate some sales. It’s likely that some of them won’t be around when we all start to get back out into the world. We’ll have to wait and see.
On a more positive note, the vaccine news means that we are all given hope this holiday season that next year will be better. Looking forward to Thanksgiving 2021 makes me envision the entire family coming together to celebrate, no matter where they are now. And Christmas, or whatever you celebrate. The family….together without the fear of transmission. But this year, we just have to accept it’s going to be a little more low-key. And hey – maybe that’s a chance to save a few dollars or put them towards an even BIGGER celebration next year. Or maybe it’s a chance to make the most of those Black Friday sales, because maybe you didn’t spend money on a vacation or other stuff, and you have a few extra dollars and you could spend it on something you need. My sister had a few dollars and turned her drab porch into a wonderful year-round “gathering” area. Very cool.
Regular listeners will remember we did a few episodes on looking rich versus being rich. The Black Friday phenomenon is a great time to remember some of those lessons. Black Friday is a HUGE indication of how the economy is going, which we all want to be good. But, it doesn’t mean you have to single-handedly make it a new record!!
I know a lot of people who see someone with a big TV or a fancy car and may think “Whoah, that person is RICH”. And maybe they are. But just as possible is that they are spending more money than they save – or maybe even more money than they have and go into expensive credit card debt because of the pressure to look “successful”. I know a few of those who I know well. The crazy intense advertising and promotion that goes on around Black Friday can cause us to lose sight of that. So ask yourself – do you really need the
1) Eufy RoboVac
2) Lodge Cast Iron Skillet or the
3) Nidra Deep Rest Eye Masks, even at 50% off.
And, can you really afford it? If the answer is yes, then enjoy! If not, then the money is probably worth more in your pocket!
WARNING: Be careful of that deadly impulse buy. It’s real and always waiting around the corner. Statistics show that it appears to happen more in a physical brick and mortar store. One report I read said we spend 40% more than planned while shopping in a store, but only 25% more for online impulse shopping.
You know impulse buying decreases significantly for a planned shopping trip. Just like grocery stores put milk in the back of the store so you have to pass everything to get to it (another opportunity to buy), they put candy, magazines and other impulse buying near the cash register when you wait. Hey, they’re not dumb, and they know that over 60% of consumers aged 18 to 29 routinely buy impulsively for themselves. When we don’t plan our shopping trip, either in person or online, we always spend more. Kind of like the Costco effect. You can never leave that place for under $100. I did it once 3 years ago. Hey, the first step is to know the game so you can protect yourself. We are talking about money right?? Plan out your purchases, save your money. Crazy fact about me, I start thinking about Black Friday in July for any bigger purchases. Patience is a Virtue I’m told.
The British writer Charles Dickens, who wrote Oliver Twist, as in “please sir, may I have some more?” and “you’ve got to pick a pocket or two…”, also wrote a book called David Copperfield. The main character (David Copperfield) has a friend called Mr. Micawber who is always in debt and has people chasing after him for money he owes to them. He gives the young Copperfield a lesson we can all take away and think about this Black Friday. He said: “Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure 19 pounds, 19 shillings and sixpence, result happiness. Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure 20 pounds, no shillings and sixpence, result misery”. Don’t worry too much about the shillings and sixpences, those are just old kinds of money. But Mr. Micawber is saying that if you spend more than you can afford, it’s a recipe to make you unhappy, and I think he’s right about that. So enjoy those sales, but remember Mr. Mic-aw-ber who is there to remind you to be HAPPY!
Don’t forget to join the fun, make sure to review us for a chance to win an Amazon gift card. Take a listen to Episode 909, which is only a minute long for details. Something fun to do to test your knowledge especially during a lockdown.
In the meantime, we wish you all a safe and happy thanksgiving, and we want to give OUR thanks to YOU for being here. We’re so grateful and above all Thankful you’ve been here. See you next time for more Money with Mak & G!
