A few months ago, Lauren was due for a new pair of sneakers, so she went on Zappos and picked out the pair she wanted. I took a look, and told her I would find her a better price. Instead, she got impulsive and bought the shoes without even letting me find a coupon. I was a little annoyed because I figured that she could have done better.

Generally, I’m a big supporter of waiting before making purchases. For electronics, waiting is almost always a good idea. Prices always decrease, and if you wait a few weeks, you can almost always find a sale on the item you want.

Turning back to our sneaker example, it turned out that Zappos did in fact have the best price on that specific shoe. Plus, their overnight shipping (she a VIP) meant she got the shoes 3 or 4 days before she would have otherwise gotten them. So, Lauren: You were right. This time. But this is the exception. Well, buying airline tickets is usually the exception. The best deals for that are usually found at least 3 weeks before the date of travel.

But I still think that generally, it’s best to be diligent with your purchases. Find a coupon, find free shipping, wait for a sale, and you’ll get the satisfaction of knowing you got a great price.

The other advantage of waiting is that if you wait 3 days and realize that you don’t really need that new video game, you won’t have that buyer’s remorse. You’ll be able to stick that credit card back into your pocket and save yourself from buying something you didn’t truly want.

Are there times when you waiting too long would actually cost you money?

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