As far as I’m concerned, buying anything at full-price is just plain stupid, especially if you can wait for it goes on sale. My wardrobe and house are full of things I got at tiny prices. And I’ll share a secret, I bought these things new, not from a second-hand or thrift store. I’m not a crazy coupon cutter and I’m completely reasonable when it comes to purchases.

When to Buy at Full-Price

But there are times when you really just have to dig deep and pay full price. When are times you should do pay full-price for items?

When you really can’t wait
You might have a interview, conference, or even a funeral that is unexpected and nothing in your closest is appropriate. You just don’t have the time to shop around to find something suitable on sale and are kicking yourself you didn’t build that wardrobe you’ve been thinking about sooner. Time constraints make it difficult sometimes and this is when shelling out the extra bucks really is worth it.

When it will never make it to sale
If you visit shops often enough, you know what items will eventually hit the sales racks because there’s a lot left after a few weeks. But if an item you adore and feel like you can’t live without is flying out the doors, now is the time to buy it. This is particularly true of luxury items that are considered staples, like high end bags and the new it trend. Ask yourself if you really can’t get by without it though, because this is when we all get caught up in the moment and maybe even fight another shopper for the last one and end up with something we really just didn’t want months down the road.

When it won’t go on sale
Some items are never marked down. If it’s a staple everyone uses, like food or things with expiry dates and stores anticipate that it’s an item they’ll keep in stock for a very long time, they probably won’t ever mark it down. Medicines and other necessities generally fall in this category.

When you can’t haggle for it
Yard sales, car dealers, and high end luxury boutiques are pretty much the only places you can haggle. I don’t think it would fly well at, say, a department store, but you can haggle over unexpected things like your gym membership. Otherwise, pony up the clams.

When paying full price saves you money in the long run
Say you have an unlimited data plan that is no longer available on your carrier and you don’t like the options from others. Buying a phone at full-price instead of getting a discount by signing a new contract and losing your data plan might save you a ton, especially if you’re anything like me (I use somewhere between 4 and 8GB a month!). Another example is when items that have expiry dates are marked down. They’re usually pretty close to going bad so it might be a waste if you won’t use it in time and buying a whole new container might be more economical.

When it’s worth it
Even if you can’t point to any one of the above reasons, there may be another less logical reason why you should buy it full price. While this makes me sound like a girl with more money than sense, I only do this maybe once every three years. This time it was because I’d been searching for years for a particular patterned glassware that goes with a family heirloom set and wanted to snap it up before someone else did.