One thing I'm always proud of myself for is making smart purchases, but mostly offline. It's like it is my forte as I make sure to compare prices and always aim for the best deal and quality. I never make impulse purchases and always think twice before buying something, all thanks to my mum who right from a very young age thought me about the value of money and why we should always aim to get the same if not better value for whatever I'm paying for, as money is not easy to earn likewise we should spend wisely.
Whenever my sisters wants to buy something and is not sure of the price and how the quality feels like, the first person that comes to their mind to assist them with things like this is me and I make sure help the best way I can in this instances, never disappointing. I remember when my younger sister needed a traveling box and we didn't know the price to expect, we just had a certain amount at hand hoping it is around the range for getting the box, the first shop we entered gave a price which we thought was fair, my sister almost dipped her hand into her purse to pay, but my keen and never settling for less instinct kicked in, with further research, I discovered the box was a fake one, and the price the seller gave with sweet coated mouth as his business selling strategies almost made us fall for it, little did he know he was dealing with a businesswoman as well. To cut the long story short, We later ended up buying a more quality box at a lesser price, my sister was so happy I followed her to the market because of the balance she had left after a good deal, she was able to get other stuffs for herself with extra to save.
The truth still remains that one cannot be too Iareful, especially in a country like mine where there is no regulation and people smuggle in inferior products all for the aim of making huge profits, not considering the stress people pass through to make money. I remember buying a reading lamp in school, I needed it for my night reading as we sometimes have an erratic power supply, especially at night, and it was during the examination period, there was no way I could do without reading at night. So I sacrificed my feeding allowance to get the reading lamp. At the store I got it from, the seller assured me it was top-quality, heck, it even had TOP-QUALITY written boldly on the pack. There were cheaper ones, but no, I wanted the best and even had to pay double the price I had budgeted for feeling satisfied that I got the best. I got home, and made sure to charge it for 4 hours as instructed by the store owner, I did. Night time came, and there was no light as usual, I tried to use my lamp and it was on low mode, even when I tried adjusting the setting for it to be brighter, it remained the same, I was so angry and didn't hesitate to return it the next day, only for the owner to tell me that I didn't charge it well. I left the lamp for him to charge "well" for full 24 hours, on my next visit, the lamp was still low, and he said he couldn't refund back my money claiming it wasn't the same day sale, also he didn't have a rechargeable lamp that was the same amount as the one I got, I knew my slim self could not face this man, so I went back to inform some of my friends and coursemates, huge guys specifically, they followed me back to the store and made sure the man refunded me, one of them even volunteered and got me a good reading lamp as a gift. I was more than happy and now make sure that any electrical appliances or gadgets I get come along with a warranty because we can not always be sure of them.
*This post is in response to the hive learners contest,week 71, edition 3.