Furu Anime Panikku

I’m sure every collector has done many impulse purchases. My days as a collector have been merely less than a year,but I have already done many impulse purchases,which in the end caused me quite some pain.

I’ve always wanted to stop having the impulse to buy something that looks good in the shops,but there’s just this natural instinct within me which makes me continue on my purchasing spree. As a result,I spend my month’s allowance almost every week. Yes,I know,it’s not healthy. Fortunately,for me,I have been saving up before I became an anime fan,so it should be able to last me for a while. But,this is still not a solution.

As such,I have come up with some ideas,which might help both myself and anyone reading this post.

Here are some ways:

• Avoid unplanned trips to shops.

Without going to the shops,you can reduce the chances of you buying something.Sure,one might argue that you can shop online. But,for a person without any credit cards,such as me,it would help a lot.If there is a need to visit the shops(eg. collection of preorders, planned purchases),then you will have to plan your trips well. Not too long ago,every Saturday was spent at Sunshine Plaza and China Square Central,and money was spent like water flowing out of the tap.Not to mention the occasional weekday trips for preorder collection.

Then,my budget got tighter due to the cash flow not being balanced. I had to stop going to the shops so frequently.Else,knowing my personality,I would be buying something every time I headed over. Now,I plan my trips well,only going down just only for things which I had planned to get.

• Ask yourself “Is it what I really want?”

Often,I have bought stuff without even giving it any thought. And it’s not that I’m rich. I’m just plain lazy to ask myself if it’s what I really want.Sometimes,I regret buying some things. For one,buying more means that I have less money to pay up when my preorders come. Also,many times,I preorder blindly. Preordering is quite tempting. For just a small sum of $10-$20,depending on the product,you can all confirm that you would be getting one. Hence,not many people give it much thought. They only think after the release date arrives and it’s time to pay up the balance.

• Manage your finances

A way to do so would be to keep track of your spendings,and deduct them from your allowance/pay for the week/month. That way,you will know when to stop yourself from spending. A simple notebook,or even a word document on the computer would do the trick. Ever since I felt that I was spending too much,I have started keeping a log on where my money goes. It’s quite effective.

• Resist Peer Pressure

I bet the first thing you would want to say is “I’m not some kid who follows what his friends do”.
But, sadly, even grownups unknowingly give in to peer pressure. Don’t preorder/buy the all the same figurines that your friends have, just because they all have it. Also, giving in to peer pressure would be quite stupid, showing that you don’t have your own taste and choices.

Basically, that’s all I have for now. I hope that this post has been beneficial to you in some way.

If I missed out anything, kindly leave a comment so that I can enhance this post and make it more useful, not only for myself, but for my readers too.