I have a horrible habit of making impulsive purchases during my travels. So this time round, I decided to take matters in my own hands and find some way of avoiding it- so that I do not end up with clothes that I will never wear or with souvenirs that will never see the light of day and so on.
After scouring the internet for tips, I decided to practice this ‘trick’ – The Stranger Test.
This is what you do: When you’re going to make a purchase, however big or small, picture a stranger holding your purchase in one hand and the cash it would take to buy it in the other – he is offering to give you one of the two, which would you choose? The $1,000 cheque or the new mobile phone? If you end up choosing the cash, then it would do good to keep that money in your pocket.
And it worked beautifully for me – granted I still spent a chunk, but it’s all on things I actually like, no junk purchases. Try it the next time you are overseas. It worked for me and it may, for you.
Till my next travel….
The concept of the Stranger Test first came up in 2009 on Five Cent Nickel
CFP, representing Financial Alliance 