I’ve been observing myself while shopping for some time now, and I think I’m starting to understand what a good buy really is. I’ve also realized that the same principles for making a great purchase can be applied to any part of one’s life to get a really good buy out of it, too. The following are the different steps I find important in turning my money into the most valuable buys - whether I’m looking for a new mop or a new house. I have also included a translation for each step that explains how it can be applied to other areas of one’s life as well.

You get an idea of something you’d like to purchase. If this idea is really coming from a gut feeling, and not just from some television commercial, newspaper advertisement, or friend programming you into thinking you want it - then you’re probably on the track to a great buy. It is also good to be sure that you’re not just buying it because the act of buying gives you a temporary high. The better you get at knowing yourself, and being able to distinguish your own gut feelings from outside programming, the better you will be at making good purchases. Translation ---> Strive to make life decisions from your gut, and not from programming. Make sure you’re not doing things just for temporary highs.

If you educate yourself about the item you want to buy, such as what different brands and models exist, you will start to find what features are most important to you. You’ll need to make sure again that you’re basing your choices on your own ideas and not outside brainwashing. Sometimes the simpler, less glamorous version is the right one. And of course, you should also look at different stores to find the best price. Translation ---> Open your eyes to what options you have in a life decision or relationship, find out what your priorities really are, and what the various possibilities will cost you.

It can be surprising, but at this point, spending the money that you need to spend to make this purchase might actually feel good, because you know that you really want the item, and that you are getting the best price for it. So don’t get cold feet - buy it! Translation ---> Now the costs involved with this decision or relationship will seem appropriate. Go for it!

Allow yourself to enjoy the new acquisition, even if it’s very simple. I have even enjoyed very minor purchases like new shampoo and new hangars. Put your attention on the item when you use it and appreciate it. It also follows naturally by this point that you will probably use the item frequently because it really is something you want and/or need, and you bought the one with all the right features. It won’t be one of those things that just sits and collects dust in your closet or garage. Translation ---> Now that you’ve made the decision, do whatever it is wholeheartedly and enjoy it, even if it’s difficult. Learn as much as you can from it and appreciate it.

The better you take care of the item, the longer it will last, and so the better a buy it will be for you. I find that this step has sometimes been challenging for me, but it is a whole lot easier for me to take care of an item that I really like and truly wanted in the first place. Translation ---> Nourish your decision or relationship. Realize when you need to put more into it or when you need to change how you’re doing something

When it is time to send the item off to the Great Recycling Bin, if you have successfully accomplished the above steps, you will probably feel that you have really gotten your money’s worth out of it. It will be a satisfying goodbye, rather than an empty toss of something you feel you should never have bought in the first place. Translation ---> When that chapter of your life is over it might be sad, but you will feel satisfied because you really made the most of it, and you learned everything you needed to learn from it. You did it to its fullest.