How many times in the recent pass have you bought something that you felt you really wanted at the time, only to regret buying it a few days (or a few hours) later?  It happens so often that we've even named it — buyer's remorse.

Amber, Ann and I were talking about buyer's remorse the other day on our way to Unity Center.  Amber, who has a new job, commented that she really enjoys having her own money so she can do things without needing to come to us.  She then said, "But I often don't like actually spending my money."

As we discussed this further, we distinguished that while she often experiences buyer's remorse after a purchase, there are other times that she feels no remorse and actually enjoys the buying experience. 

Of course, I was listening to the conversation through the Life On Purpose Perspective, and here's a few thoughts I'd like to share with you — ways to avoid or minimize buyer's remorse.

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When Value and Values Come Together
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As the conversation continued, I asked Amber and Ann when were there times that they most strongly felt buyer's remorse and other times when there was little or no 'after regret.'

Amber shared that recently when she bought her iTouch, she felt a strong case of buyer's remorse because she realized after buying it that the primary motivation for buying it was to 'look cool.'  She looked forward to being able to show it off to her friends, and hear back, "Wow, that's cool. I wish I had one, etc."

"But that only lasted for about a month," Amber went on, "And then I started realizing how many hours I had to work to be able to buy it, and I'm not sure it was worth all the effort."

"When do you not regret spending money?" I asked.

"Well, I don't need the fanciest clothes.  I'd rather find good bargains either at a thrift store, or clothes on sale, so I have more money that helps me experience more of life, like going to a play with my friends."

Hummm, I thought,  where good value for the product or service meets with the person's values meet, buyer's remorse is minimal. Like Amber, we all enjoy getting a 'good deal' because we feel that what we paid is in balance with the value we receive.

So, here are a few questions to help you along with making 'purposeful purchases:'

And I often find a little 'purposeful patience' to be of great assistance. If these two questions raise any 'red flags' for you, why not wait for a couple of days to give your inner guidance a little more time to weigh in. 
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What do you think about today's blog post?  Agree, disagree?  What other ways have you found to minimize buyer's remorse?  How about sharing them with other purposeful people right here.