Ever made an Emotional purchase?

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Hey everyone,

I almost spent a lot of money today, way more than my conscience could handle. My coworker wanted to sell me a Specialized fat bike, carbon frame bike for $1200. Truthfully that is a good deal; it’s a 2017 model, they retail for $3300 new. But I have no business using those. I am a casual biker, not a trail-blazing, mountain bike racer. But the emotions in me took over. I thought, “it’s a good deal.” My coworkers also were egging me on, telling me how nice the bike is. I got so full of excitement, I agreed to buy the bike. But I am so broke, I needed to finance the bike, but my coworker said that was ok. It didn’t take long for me to realize after “what am I doing?!” I went back to my coworker and told him I made a mistake. I can’t afford the bike, and here’s $10 for wasting your time. I felt some relief, but at the back of my mind, I was thinking “did I miss a great deal?”

If you have ever heard of the meyer’s Briggs personality test; you are aware of the terms feelers vs thinkers. I err on the feeler side. People like me can understand emotion driven decisions. Sometimes I envy the logic types, because they don’t fall into these traps. Emotion driven purchases can also enter the realm of automobiles. I am not talking just new cars, maybe an old junker, driven only by emotion, not necessity or utilitarian reasons. I’ve done those.

I bought a $2000 van only to sell it 2 weeks for $400 because I didn’t have the emissions tested. CA law prevented me from registering it, so I had to take a huge loss on it. I thought the van was a killer deal, but didn’t do my due diligence. What about you? Have you purchased a car where emotion overtook logic? Can be any emotion.
 
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You could've dodged a bullet. The deal with carbon frame bikes is that when you lay one down, it may develop hairline crack that are very difficult to spot. It's standard practice to unload them on unsuspecting riders after an incident with one. So if this bike was being sold or such a great price, you have to ask yourself why?
 
Hopefully this helps: in the future, ask yourself: is this a "want" or a "need"? and/or make a pact with yourself to wait for a month on any non-essential purchase, and then re-examine your thoughts.
 
I was seriously thinking about buying a Dodge Hellcat...definitely a want not a need. Guess I am having my mid-life crisis a little early.
 
Originally Posted By: Kurtatron
I felt some relief, but at the back of my mind, I was thinking “did I miss a great deal?”


I buy stuff I don't need all the time...... after I see how much similar items sell for on ebay.

If I know I can make $100 on it, I'll buy it and flip it.
 
Sure, last year I bought my Sonata because it was a good deal. Was only $9,990. But it's really comfortable and I have a bad back so it's worth it.
 
Don't beat yourself over this, we all make emotional decisions and use reason and logic afterwards to try to justify that decision.
 
There is nothing wrong with an emotional purchase if you can afford it.

For example you really want that $10 popcorn at the movies or ballgame even though it costs 40cents its ok, if brings you some joy.

if your finances are such that this is going to cause you hardship in the future, then this is cut and dry problem of not being able to postpone gratification or issues with impulse and planning ahead.

However, a separate situatuon is assume you are financially fine, and $10 or $5000 or whatever it is isn't going to change your life in any forseeable way, but you have a hangup or can't enjoy the item because you know it's a luxury or a want, thats a big psychological issue to address that is holding you back from happiness.

finally a lot of you are commenting on a feelimg of losing a deal even though you didn't lose anything. thats a normal feeling too but something you can work on. If your concept of happiness and joy starts to shift to getting (or not getting) the deal versus the item itself, that is not the best life you could live.
Look at all the folks who have oil stashes from deals but end up never using the oil. Its harmless, but hopefully you can get happiness elsewhere.
 
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Originally Posted By: tomcat27
Hopefully this helps: in the future, ask yourself: is this a "want" or a "need"? and/or make a pact with yourself to wait for a month on any non-essential purchase, and then re-examine your thoughts.


+1 on this.

Last time I bought something emotionally was a plasma TV. Prices had come down, I didn't need it, but I wanted it. I find it best to think about it before I buy. If I think that I'm going to eventually buy that item and it's a really good price than it's a no brainer. I usually try to buy only items I know I will use.

Nothing is a good deal if you don't use it.
 
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If you need to finance an impulse purpose, change your mind in a hurry, before you agree to hand over any money. You might get lucky, but I'd bet against that.

Claud.
 
OP-

By far, you are ahead of so many other folks simply because you realize the conditions you operate under. Recognizing, knowing and understanding that you are driven emotionally is the best way to intercede on your own behalf.

As others have said, there's nothing wrong with you. There's nothing wrong with making emotional purchases.
There is danger, as you freely admit, to making purchases you cannot afford, however.
You were wise to back out of the deal.

This world (the States in particular) is full of folks whom cannot control themselves. Driving around in fancy cars, living in expensive homes, credit cards maxed out. They live on the edge of insanity, fiscally, IMO.

Will you occasionally miss out on a "great deal" by not purchasing something in a moment of weakness? Yes. But that be better than beating yourself up after the fact.



We see behavior like that here all the time on BITOG. People will use a syn lube and a top-tier filter for a 5k mile OCI; repeatedly I might add. Then they'll take UOAs and totally disregard the info, continuing on their wasteful track. Nothing wrong with that; it's an emotional decision. And as long as they can afford it, fine for them and fine by me. But that's what they WANT and not what their engine NEEDS. And most all of them are in denial about the whole experience. Luckily, oil and filters are not likely to break the bank for anyone, so it's an indulgence they can afford to waste money on.



Nothing wrong with an emotional choice, as long as it does not cause worse feelings after the fact and/or place you in financial jeopardy.
You might the right choice to deny yourself that bike.
 
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I owned my 1999 Volvo V70 and it was good.
Post-Christmas party 2007 (driving a cousin home) I spied a 2002 for sale.
No thinking, just, "Hey, a newer A/C system, exhaust etc. BUT SIDE AIRBAGS". So I bought it.
Hmmmm......Not completely emotional I suppose but I did pull the trigger rather quickly.
Sorry
 
I work with "emotional purchasers"-- when times are good they're getting ATVs, guns, boats, rando toys.

But these are the same dolts who sell these things for pennies on the dollar when things go south. They sell to each other.

I have opportunities but the "at work" price is still worse than the "craigslist" price.

People try trading me stuff like ATVs when I have a running, inspected car for sale. I tell 'em right back that I'll take the ATV plus 75% of the car's asking price. They say it's worth more all day long. Ok then, liquidate it. We all need a car. They need their acts together.

Whoever invented money must have made a mint. It's a much better way to do things than batering.
 
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
Hopefully this helps: in the future, ask yourself: is this a "want" or a "need"? and/or make a pact with yourself to wait for a month on any non-essential purchase, and then re-examine your thoughts.


That's how people end up with with a $500 payment for 60 months because they had a new car itch and could not resist going to the dealership..... 'just to look'.

At the same time they were not in a financial position to take on additional debt.

Off Topic:
I knew a guy who got a half million dollar injury lawsuit settlement and had crazy anxiety and couldn't stop spending money. It's almost as if the large lump some of cash drove him bonkers.

He did have a bad neck injury and had to wear a medical halo for 4 months. Luckily he was able to walk after forklift crushed him.
 
I like old English/Euro bikes and cars and occasionally buy one, its always a strictly emotional purchase. Looking at one now in fact. I want to own them while I am still young enough to fix them and enjoy them.
 
Originally Posted By: mbacfp
I was seriously thinking about buying a Dodge Hellcat...definitely a want not a need. Guess I am having my mid-life crisis a little early.


I buy what I want when I want it whether I need it or not. You only live once. The Hellcats are awesome but you can get amazing performance for $30K less with a Scat Pack. Take one (Challenger or Charger) for a test drive (if they will let you) and see what I mean.
 
Originally Posted By: Kurtatron
If you have ever heard of the meyer’s Briggs personality test; you are aware of the terms feelers vs thinkers. I err on the feeler side. People like me can understand emotion driven decisions. Sometimes I envy the logic types, because they don’t fall into these traps. Emotion driven purchases can also enter the realm of automobiles.

You're not as bad off as you think. I think it might be worth changing your narrative on this.

First, this isn't really about "emotion" vs. "logic". We often think "more logical" people have an easier time making better decisions, and sometimes that's true. But they also tend to be better at talking themselves (and others) into stupid decisions.

What this is really about is impulses and priorities. Specifically:

1. How effectively you can resist your impulses, and
2. How solid your personal priorities are.

With good impulse control and good, strongly-held priorities, a "more emotional" person can resist impulsive decisions all day long. With poor impulse control and bad or loosely-held priorities, a "more logical" person can find a reason to buy into anything.

I'd say your story is a great example of this. You consider yourself "more emotional" and "less logical" -- and yet, you DID avoid buying the bike in the end. Meanwhile, I know a whole lot of highly "logical" people whose lives are defined by impulsive and non-rational decisions.

Impulse control and personal priorities aren't matters of logic. They are skills, like any other skill a person might have. They work when they're cultivated, and fail when they're neglected -- regardless of how the rest of a person's mind works.

In response to your question: EVERYONE makes "emotional" decisions because every decision has an emotional component. We are not capable of reasoning without anything that can be defined as emotion. It would take a while to explain this, but it's just a function of how a biological brain works. It's not a computer. It works on heuristics and fuzzy logic, and is physically incapable of easily sorting through every possible variable. When people's brains are damaged in such a way that they don't feel the normal range of emotion, their decisions get WORSE, not better. At best, they can't read a situation or get bogged down in irrelevant details; at worst, they turn out to be sociopaths or psychopaths.

The real question isn't whether a decision is emotional or logical; the question is how reasonable it is, and by what standard. That's a completely different question, and one that "emotional" and "logical" types alike could get right or wrong.

These are among the many reasons why the Meyers-Briggs test is hugely suspect, by the way.
 
Yea agree with d00df00d. this has nothing to do with meyers briggs or personality.
By bringing up personality or "I'm naturally this way" is a copout excuse that makes it seem that you aren't responsible for your decisions.

As long as you're an adult, if you are making poor decisions you ARE responsible for them. Whatever excuse you may have, you can learn to change or improve your decision process.

If you are making good decisions but experiencing feelings or hangups when making them, this too you can change how you deal with those feelings.

Everybody has a stack of problems and imperfections, so if what you're doing is harmless and you got other priorities, take care of those other things with your time and energy.
If its affecting your life though, either explicitly or at the emotional level, you got to take fare od that and make a change.
 
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Originally Posted By: ZZman
I almost think too much and research things to death usually.


Me too- especially with respect to home theater/audio components.
I will say that I have never bought a car on impulse, but in the case of my E24 M6 I was looking for an E30 M3 and was encouraged to "Just take it for a drive." That's all it took...
When I bought my CPO M235i I didn't expect to like it as much as I did; I had planned to test drive it and then go look at a Golf R as well as a new Mustang GT Performance Package(a model I had previously driven)- but I wound up buying the 2er then and there.
 
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