Six Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making a Purchase

My first job out of college was in marketing. While my service team coworkers were benignly assisting our customers, I was being paid to outsmart them.

I’d roll into my 9-5, sit in my sterile cubicle, and consider factors that would best cajole our target market into making purchases. I’d memorized the research. Everything from the direct mailer’s text color to the timing I delivered an email blast mattered in securing a sale.

It was an interesting type of power to hold. My actions influenced others’ decisions to spend money. I’d been trained to shape buying behavior—to manipulate minds. In short, I spent my days persuading people to consume stuff they likely didn’t need.

That was almost 15 years ago. Before smartphones could seemingly eavesdrop on conversations, making whatever you’re interested in appear on your newsfeed. Before social media ads targeted whatever product you just Googled. And before innocent window shopping meant you’d likely see that store’s products popping up on your phone later.

Marketing has clearly changed a lot over the past few years, becoming increasingly targeted. But the end goal persists: to make you feel deficient so you buy more than you actually need.

Increased awareness of the phenomenon that is marketing begets one question: “How do we, the consumers, make mindful purchases without becoming swayed by marketer’s snares?”

The answer comes by asking yourself better questions. In The Minimalists’ latest book Love People, Use Things, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus outline six questions to ask yourself before making a purchase. Consider these questions as your shield in the current battle for your brand loyalty and hard earned cash.

Six questions to ask yourself before making a purchase: 

1. Who am I buying this for?

In high school I desperately “needed” Doc Martin boots. Why? Because wearing those $100 shoes portrayed an image and shaped my identity. If I was in style, I was cool, and therefore more liked. I didn’t purchase those boots for me (truth is they were heavy and at times taxing to wear). I purchased them to project an image to others.

The need to showcase brands to shape our identity is rampant. We do it with everything from cars to watches to hand bags, as though what we own will finally make us enough. 

Millburn said, “The problem arises when we feel external pressure to acquire, as if new trinkets were a shortcut to a more complete life.”

If you’re feeling external pressure to make a purchase, pause and question for whom you are truly buying something. Your worth and identity aren’t found in your stuff (thankfully, I’ve learned that since high school). Buy for yourself if it adds value to your life, not to impress anyone else.

2. Will this add value to my life?

Before purchasing an item, hold it in your hand and consider its purpose. Be completely candid—it’s easy for us to rationalize buying things that may not actually increase our well-being in a meaningful way. 

Does the item hold a specific function that nothing else can? Does the item serve a specific aesthetic purpose? A home containing things that add value is a home that supports a more meaningful life.

3. Can I afford it?

Just because you can buy something doesn’t mean you can afford it. Paying with credit cards or financing likely means you can’t. Before minimalism, our credit card debt hit $40,000, yet, if our card limits weren’t yet reached, we continued buying.

The peace that comes with living debt-free and within your means is worth more than anything you can buy. 

4. Is this the best use of this money? 

Even if you can afford something, it’s worth asking if purchasing it is the best use of your money. How could the money serve you better elsewhere? Investing in retirement? Rent? A family vacation? 

If your money could be put to better use, Millburn suggests, “skipping the purchase and allocating the dollars to the most effective place.”

5. What’s the actual cost? 

Everything we bring into our lives has a claim on some of our time, energy and attention. Possessions must be cleaned, maintained, picked up, put away, and repaired. When we stop and consider the actual cost of an item, we realize it goes well beyond its price tag. 

Before buying something, add up all the costs. You may find you can’t actually afford it (or don’t want to), even if you could afford the upfront cost. By choosing not to purchase the item, you’re freeing up valuable resources to focus more on what truly matters.

6. Would the best version of “me” buy this?

If the best version of you wouldn’t buy an item, then don’t. Intuitively, most of us know whether or not a purchase is right, but we’re very good at justifying our spending. We coax ourselves into believing we deserve a possession or we need something to feel successful.

Before making a purchase, tap into your authentic self, and ask if you really need to buy the item. Consult your gut feeling. If it’s an uneasy one, listen and don’t make the purchase.

Millburn said, “The easiest way to declutter your stuff is to avoid bringing it home in the first place.” 

Pausing to consider these six questions before making a purchase will leave you with less clutter around the house and more money in your pocket. They’ll build your resiliency against marketer’s mind games and will free you to think for yourself.

If you’re looking for more guidance on becoming a more intentional consumer and living with less, I highly recommend checking out The Minimalist’s latest book Love People, Use Things. And, if you’d like these six questions on your phone wallpaper for a quick reference while shopping, download them here.

We all get one life. Let’s begin questioning the things we bring into it and make it a more meaningful one.

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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, one-year-old son, and newborn baby girl. You can also find her on Instagram.

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I want to help you design a simple, intentional life! I’ve created a 30-day course that will guide and inspire you to make actual change in your life by decluttering your home, heart and schedule. It’s time to live focused on what matters! Learn more HERE.