(03) 9020 2905Next time you order in a pizza, put a big dollop of ice cream in the centre. Let it melt, then eat. Bad combination? Right, now you get Debt Man and shopping.
If you ever see me in a retail environment – anything except a restaurant, pub, or bottle shop – do not approach or obstruct me. I’m prepared to sacrifice others to complete the mission quickly and escape.
I hate shopping. And the older I get, the more intense the dislike has become. It’s now almost pathological. I admit that it’s ridiculous, even embarrassing. It does not pass the “reasonable man” test.
But, adapt or die.
Sooooo … I went shopping for underpants recently. I know you didn’t need that image over your Weet-Bix. Sorry. But shopping for jocks is supposed to be simple – it’s not lingerie. I know my brand (Bonds), size (huge) and colour (black).
Shopping should be: Walk in, find underpants, remove credit card, sign, depart. Even driving 10 minutes each way, the nightmare should only last 22 minutes.
Except my store didn’t have my undies. Now I’m 25 minutes out of pocket (fruitless extra searching) and still no jocks.
I got home and jumped online. Found the right ones in one minute, had paid for them in two and was reading the kids a bed-time story within three.
A whole bunch of aggravating shopping trips have now been rendered obsolete. Stress levels subside. Time retrieved. Bless online shopping, particularly when I know exactly what I want and don’t care who the supplier is.
What are YOU now buying/doing/reading/exploring on the internet that you weren’t one, five or ten years ago?
If the news of the last few months (particularly of retailers and several major Australian media outlets) have highlighted anything, it’s that the internet is slowly changing almost everything you do.
We are changing the way they consume. We’re still purchasing, but the way we purchase it has become cheaper and easier.
Five years ago, I couldn’t contemplate reading a newspaper online. I still have the paper delivered and read it most days, but I’m now reading far more of it online during the day.
But there’s still a limit to what we’ll purchase over the internet. Some things shouldn’t be purchased online.
That includes anything that requires personal advice. I don’t need advice to buy jocks and socks, airline tickets, or do my banking.
However, you can’t get your car serviced online, get your golf swing adjusted, or your washing machine fixed.
I’d never get tax advice over the internet. I wouldn’t get legal advice online. And, in my day job as a financial adviser, I’ve seen some downright dangerous “free” financial advice dispensed online.
Sure, you can go online and try to diagnose an ailment. But there’s damn good reasons you can’t prescribe yourself drugs, get a referral or get a medical certificate online.
That’s not going to stop a lot of people doing it to save a buck anyway. And many others want to do it themselves because they enjoy the challenge and the learning experience.
But if you are going to do that, here are the five things that you need to remember.
Value your time: How much time are you going to have to spend learning what you need to know? If it’s going to be hours, or dozens of hours, will saving a few bucks be worth it? Would your time be better spent with your kids, watching a movie, prognosticating over the footy with mates at the pub, exercising, cleaning out the office … the stuff you really can’t/shouldn’t outsource.
Beware of reinventing wheels: You might want to do all/most of it yourself. But anyone who does something for the first time necessarily has to reinvent wheels. Perhaps be prepared to pay professionals to get over a few hurdles.
Research, research, research. If you are going down the do-it-yourself option, then don’t do a half-arsed job. Read up properly.
Accept blame. If you attempt the complex things yourself … and you stuff it up, or it falls apart … remember who you have to blame.
Don’t be stubborn: If you get half-way through the process and realise you’re in too deep, admit defeat and go see a professional. If nothing else, you’ll be better prepared to quiz them anyway.
Bruce Brammall is the author of Debt Man Walking (www.debtman.com.au) and a licensed financial adviser. bruce@debtman.com.au.