The Online Places To Avoid When Saving

1.   Ebay 
 Okay, this may seem obvious, but when you’re trying to save/generate dollars, it’s easy to be drawn to ebay to sell those things you’ve got hanging around that you never wear or use (you probably bought them on ebay to begin with). The trap is that as long as you’re spending time on the ebay site, checking your listings and answering questions, you’ve pretty much got to be made of stone not to have a little browse for something you ‘really really need.’  The worst part is, you can so easily justify buying things because you’re selling stuff – the amount of times I’ve caught myself thinking ‘I’ll buy this and sell something else in its place’ – and it seems to level out. But that’s the thing with Ebay, you never make as much money selling as you do buying. I know this rule seems absurd because, for it to work universally, somebody has to be making money selling you all the things you can’t afford, but it’s true, at least in my case it is. I recommend, either staying away completely, or keeping a guardian in the way of a friend, parent, partner around when you’re at you’re most vulnerable.

 2.   Amazon   

Don’t even go near it. There are three reasons for this; firstly, books seem kind of like good investments. They’re like buying antiques, or art, or property, but on a smaller scale. When you’re trying to save money you can justify buying a book because you’re just ‘building your library’ and books don’t seem flimsy and impulsive like most clothing purchases do. Secondly, what’s the first thing most people do when they’re trying to save money? Stay home on the weekends. So, of course, it becomes pretty easy to rationalise spending a couple of hundred dollars on books, because you’re going to spend the next few months at home, keeping quiet, reading and saving money. As if those reasons weren’t a big enough threat to your dwindling account balance, you’ve also got Amazon recommendations to deal with. Thank you Amazon, for showing me books that I had either forgotten, or never even knew, I wanted. Nightmare!

3.   Any Blogs/Websites Concerned With Interior Design/ Home Decorating                 

     This is for a similar reason as to why I avoid Amazon. When trying to save money, you naturally anticipate spending a lot of time in your home. There is nothing like looking at pictures of other peoples amazing living spaces to make you loathe your own. This often ends with you either: a. wanting to spend less time in your own place and more time in the outside world, spending money, or, b. redecorating your house to make it liveable for those months you anticipate staying in and, thusly, spending money. For this reason, avoid websites overpopulated with devastatingly amazing house things. Websites like Anthropologie and All Modern  should be left alone altogether, as should blogs like decor8 and Design*Sponge.                                     

   

      On second thought, perhaps it's safest to disconnect the broadband, lock the doors and try to forgot about the world outside, full to the brim of disgustingly tempting things to buy.