The rise of e-commerce has made online shopping easier and more accessible than ever before. With just a few taps on your smartphone or tablet, you can instantly add a diverse range of products to your digital cart and checkout.

That said, if you’re the type of person who loves to shop, this convenience can sometimes lead to overspending and buyer’s remorse. The ease of purchasing on impulse, combined with the constant stream of sales, promotions, and new arrivals, can cloud your judgment and make it difficult to differentiate between what you truly need and what you simply want at the moment.

The good news is that it’s possible to shop smart and still indulge in your love for shopping, without breaking the bank. In this article, we’ll explore practical tips and strategies to help you strike the perfect balance between your desires and your needs, ensuring that every purchase adds value to your life while allowing you to stay within your budget.

Prioritize Your Needs Over Your Wants

Between buying your daily essentials and shopping for your wants, always make sure to prioritize your needs first. Needs are items that ensure your daily life runs smoothly and comfortably, so items, such as groceries, toiletries, and household necessities fall under this category. Wants, on the other hand, are things you may desire but could live without, like the newest gadgets or latest fashion trends. Although purchasing them will bring you joy, the satisfaction you get from them is often temporary, and the excitement can quickly fade once the novelty wears off. Focusing on your needs ensures that you’re meeting the most important requirements before indulging in items that are more about personal desire than necessity.

To help you distinguish your needs from your wants, it’s a good idea to create a shopping list before you begin browsing. Doing this ensures that you list down the items you truly require first, keeping your focus on what’s essential. Make sure to stick to this list, as this helps you stay committed to your priorities and avoid impulse buys.

Establish a Practical Budget and Make Sure to Follow It

A budget is one of the most powerful tools you can use to shop smart. Setting a realistic budget helps you control your impulse to buy, avoid overspending, and make intentional purchasing decisions. Start by reviewing your monthly income and expenses to determine a reasonable amount you can allocate for shopping. Be sure to consider both essentials and discretionary items, ensuring your budget includes necessary purchases but also leaves room for occasional treats.

Once you’ve set your budget, stick to it. A common pitfall is to think of exceeding one’s budget “just this once,” especially when faced with tempting sales or promotions. However, as you can imagine, multiple “just this once” impulse purchases can quickly add up. To ensure that you stay on track, consider using a spreadsheet or a budgeting app to monitor your spending. Some apps even allow you to track specific shopping categories, so you can easily see where your money is going and make adjustments as needed. By creating and following a shopping budget, you ensure that your purchases align with your financial goals. This will also help you avoid buyer’s remorse later on.

Pay Using the Right Credit Card

As long as you use it wisely, a credit card can be a great tool for managing your purchases. Provided that you pay off the balance before interest accrues, you can use your credit card to extend the reach of your budget. The best thing about using it is you can spread out payments for larger purchases without straining your budget. To maximize the advantage of a credit card, it’s important to use the best credit card for online shopping. This card should align with your spending habits and offer the best perks to make every purchase more rewarding and cost-efficient.

When shopping online, using a cashback credit card to pay for your purchases is one of your best options. Such a card allows you to earn a percentage of your spending back as cash rewards, effectively reducing the overall cost of your purchases each month. If you’re a Landers Superstore member who’s looking for the best cashback credit card for online shopping, for example, the Landers Cashback Everywhere Credit Card is an excellent choice. Not only does this Maya credit card give you up to 5% cashback at Landers and 2% on dining spends but it also offers 1% cashback on all other qualified transactions,* which includes online shopping. It even offers a generous annual cashback cap of PHP 200,000, making it one of the most competitive cashback credit cards available in the country today. What’s more, it serves as a Landers Superstore membership card, so you don’t have to carry two separate cards when purchasing in-store to enjoy Landers’ exclusive shopping experience. It comes as no surprise that the Landers Cashback Everywhere Card is one of the best credit cards for online shopping in the Philippines.

Delay Your Purchases

When you feel the urge to make an unplanned purchase, try to give yourself a 24-hour (or even 48-hour) cooling-off period instead of buying the item right there and then. This pause gives you time to think critically about whether the item is truly a necessity or just a fleeting desire. If, after some time, you still feel that the item adds value to your life, go ahead and make the purchase. However, many times, you’ll find that the initial excitement fades, and you’ll realize the item wasn’t as important as it may have seemed. This tactic can be especially useful when shopping online, as you can add items to your cart and revisit them after a day or two. This simple act of delaying purchases can save you money, prevent clutter in your home, and ensure that you’re purchasing things that really add value to your life.

Take Advantage of Sales Events Thoughtfully

Sales and discounts are some of the most powerful temptations when it comes to shopping online, but they can easily lead to unnecessary spending if you’re not careful. Just because something is on sale doesn’t mean it’s a good deal, especially if it’s an item you didn’t plan to buy in the first place. One way to shop smart is to ensure that any purchases you make during sales events are aligned with your needs, and not just because the discounted prices appeal to you.

Before jumping at a sale, take a moment to evaluate if the item is something you truly need or have been planning to buy. If it’s a product you’ve been eyeing for a while and the sale offers genuine savings, then it may be worth purchasing. However, if it’s something you never considered until you saw the price drop, it’s likely best to pass. Without careful consideration, you may end up buying something you don’t actually need or will hardly use.

Furthermore, keep in mind that some sales may have hidden costs, such as shipping fees or additional items you need to purchase to qualify for the discount. That said, taking a thoughtful approach to sales, can help you avoid falling into the trap of buying things just because they’re cheap, ultimately ensuring that your purchases are both purposeful and within your budget.

Shopping smart isn’t about denying yourself the things you love; it’s about making intentional choices that align with your values. These tips are here to empower you to make thoughtful decisions, so you can enjoy the process of shopping online without compromising your financial well-being. With a clear approach to your purchases, you can strike a balance between indulging in what you want and ensuring that your essentials are prioritized.

*Transactions that don’t qualify include: cash in, cash advance, quasi cash purchases, casinos and gambling, fuel, supermarket, pharmaceuticals, utilities, telco, and government.