As consumers, we are bombarded by a lot of rules and advice about the purchases we make. Do this, don’t do that, buy this, buy often, and so on. However, most of this “helpful advice” comes from the very people who have a significant stake in seeing us open our wallets more often.
Here are six common shopping myths that we have debunked. Don’t fall for the hype.1. Black Friday is the best day of the year for deals
The frenzy surrounding Black Friday makes it feel like the ultimate shopping day. This is the day you’ll get all of those bargains just before the holidays; you are going to save a fortune, right? Well…yes and no.
There are some legitimately crazy-great deals on Black Friday, but they are extremely limited and go quickly. The other deals throughout the day are not guaranteed to be the lowest prices of the year. In fact, many items can be less expensive at other times during the year. You will also be bombarded with prices that are compared to the MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price), which is seldom the regular retail price, even when there’s no sale. And, of course, online deals and Cyber Monday give you similar chances to save. (See also: 6 Genius Ways to Save on Cyber Monday)
2. Replace your mattress every 7-10 years
A good rule to remember with a mattress is YMMV (your mileage may vary). Depending on the quality of your mattress, how it is used, how you care for it, what mattress protector you use (if any) and a host of other factors, you could easily get 15 or more years from your mattress.
If you are away on business a lot, and live alone, it could last 20 years. On the other hand, you may need to replace it earlier than seven years if you have kids using it as a trampoline every day, it’s a low end mattress with a low coil count, or it has suffered from significant spills, accidents, and other damage. It’s like an oil change, or a pair of sneakers. It’s not the age of the mattress — it’s the mileage.
Once you realize you’re waking up stiff and sore, and you’re tossing and turning at night, it’s time to start looking around. But don’t believe an arbitrary number given to you by companies invested in making money off new sales.
3. Any food past its sell-by-date must be thrown away
This is another rule we follow blindly, causing people all over the globe to waste one-third of all food. We follow the rule because of the date on the…
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