Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Be Wary of Online Shopping


The bottomless cart.

After a day trip back home to visit my family this past Sunday, I returned back to school with a little more than I went home with.  It seems that over the past month, my mom has become victim to a Wanelo addiction. For those of you who haven’t heard of Wanelo before…it is a phone app made for shopping, similar to Etsy. Now that my mom understands how to use her iPhone, she is using it to its full potential. She has been ordering jewelry, clothes, bags, and shoes left and right. My dad and I discussed an intervention, but I was distracted once I realized that she picked out a few things for me.

She bought me an adorable satchel bag from somewhere in Hong Kong, a lovely keychain, a pink iPhone USB charger extension cord, and a cute top from Delia’s. I was pleasantly surprised by the gifts she bought for me, but was overwhelmed by all of the goodies she bought herself. For probably an hour straight my mom was taking me around her room and bathroom sharing with me all of her latest purchases. I know my mom knows how to look for a deal (she is the one who taught me, after all) but I also know how addicting online shopping can be and how quickly online purchases add up. 

 Satchel bag courtesy of Wanelo

My advice to my mom and to all you online shoppers out there is just to be aware. Check your bank account often, know how much shipping will cost you, and mainly…don’t go overboard. One of my rules for shopping, both online and in stores, is to avoid purchasing items that you do not need.  Yes, being able to say that I have a pink, ten foot long USB cord is nice…but it’s completely unnecessary. I doubt that I will ever have to use my USB cord as a jump rope. 

Online shopping is fun and easy, trust me- I know. Just try to limit yourself to only one or two online purchases a month.  If you find that your addiction to online shopping is out of control, delete your shopping apps off of your phone. Remember, the easiest way to pinch pennies, is by simply not spending any.

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