We don’t have a ‘Primark or ‘H&M’ here on the Isle of Man but I’ve been to Manchester, Liverpool and London and witnessed the feverish scenes in these and other similar low-cost stores.  

In theory, you get bargains and can save a lot of money there due to the ‘low prices’ of the merchandise.  For the majority of shoppers, however, I don’t think that’s the case. 

The baskets the stores have available always seem very big to me.  When you put your £2 top or £3 multi-pack of socks in there it just looks pretty puny, and a little lost, all on its own.  Walking round with it, how silly do you look to all those other  shoppers?  Would you really want to waste your time queuing up to pay for that solitary item?

Much better to fill the basket with lots of stuff.  Each item is only £2, £3, £4 and…and…

So, before you know it, you get carried away and the result is you get home with several BIG bags of the cheap stuff.  Excited, you probably spread it out on your bed and admire it all.  Look how much you got for your £50 or £60!  (Or did you spend more?)

Then the issue of where to put it all.  That can be a struggle can’t it?  Not much room in the drawers and the wardrobes.  If you stopped and looked you’d realise you’ve already got too much stuff and most of it you never wear.  Still, you cram it all in somehow. 

And what you find is that an awful lot of those new bargains never see the light of day again.  You have so much you forget what you have.  Should you ever re-discover an item, long since bought, you probably won’t wear it anyway because it’s no longer in fashion.

Now, imagine if you had just bought one piece of clothing for that £50 or £60.  Would you do the same?  Or would you treat it with a lot more respect?  It’s because the stuff you bought was cheap that you don’t care that much.

Now, I’m not saying that a £2 piece of clothing is necessarily worse than that item at £50.  After all, pricing of goods is pretty arbitrary and often you’re only paying a hefty premium for a particular label or brand.  

It’s more a case of choosing what you do buy with more care and consideration.  You might think about the consequences of your purchase: what benefit is it to you? 

If we spend money on things we don’t need, we are not saving a penny.  Worse still, we are taking our hard-earned money from other (much worthier) expenses, such as paying off debt or making savings.  Things that can be of real benefit to us and our families. 

Less can be more…