How to Impulse Buy This Summer

Camping is one of my family’s favorite summer activities.

We have enjoyed the beauty of our great nation while camping in states between Oregon and Maine.  Of all the places we have traveled, the North Shore of Lake Superior is our favorite area to camp.

But when my family goes camping, there are always extra expenses, especially when we want to add new equipment to our camping gear!

The Impulse Buy

Sometimes it's hard to resist buying something we find in the store or online because it looks cool and is such a “good deal”.  Impulse purchases like these are fun at first, but later you find they can be budget busters. If there are too many impulse buys, there isn’t room left in the budget to buy items we planned on.

So, to keep from blowing our family's budget we:

• Make it a practice not to buy the item right away
• Take the time to talk about it, then decide if it is something that we really need or want
• Look at our budget to see if it fits
• When it doesn't fit into the budget, we put it in the budget for next season - especially if it is a larger purchase

Budget for Summer Fun & Impulsive Buys

When planning for summer trips or hobby expenses, first plan out how much you want to spend - and then stick with your budget.

Part of this budget should include some room for a few impulse buys to give you freedom to make a few “fun” purchases.

But remember, don’t go over the amount of what you had in your budget for impulsive items, because then you won’t have the funds to purchase something that you did plan for.

You Can Do It!

You might think that budgeting for summer seems like a drag, but it really gives you freedom to buy what you want (and even be a little impulsive) without going into debt.

My grandfather used to say

"No deal, no matter what the deal, is a good deal if you don’t need it or can’t afford it."