System 12: Buying literacy
Unit prices, price cycles, cost per use and sales theatre: how to read a price calmly and decide like someone who is not being hurried.
The system guide
Working guides in this system
Buying literacy Comparing Two Products Like for Like Set two products on the same measures before price is allowed in: spec, size, running cost, terms and total over the same lifespan. Buying literacy Cost Per Use: The Only Honest Price Tag Divide price by realistic uses to find the real cost of clothing, appliances and gear, and buy for the life you actually live. Buying literacy Gift Cards, Points and Stored Value: Use Them or Lose Them Keep a stored-value list with balances and expiry dates, spend oldest first, and treat points as discounts, never as income. Buying literacy How to Read a Unit Price (and When It Misleads) Find the unit price on the shelf label, compare per ounce or per count, and spot the cases where the lowest unit price is the wrong buy. Buying literacy Price Cycles: When Things Predictably Go on Sale Learn the predictable sale windows for your household's regular buys and time flexible purchases to the cycle, not the countdown. Buying literacy Prices Too Good to Be True: The Checks Before You Pay Run the too-good checks before paying: seller identity, independent price, payment method, returns route and pressure signals. Buying literacy Returns Windows and Buying to Try: The Hidden Costs Know the return window before you buy, diarise its last day, and count the real costs of buying to try at home. Buying literacy Reviews and Ratings: Read Them Sideways Read reviews for patterns, failures and fit, not for star averages: sort low, count specifics, and distrust perfection. Buying literacy Sales and Discounts: Real Reduction or Theatre? Test any sale in under a minute: the starting price, the unit price, the cycle and whether you would buy it at full price. Buying literacy Shopping Lists Versus Browsing: Two Different Activities Treat listing and browsing as separate activities: buy from the list, browse only to learn, and never let the shop merge them. Buying literacy The 30-Day Rule for Want Purchases Park every non-essential want on a dated list for thirty days; buy only what is still wanted, still useful and still fairly priced.