The Pulse Blog

By: Mary Lorainne
Everyday, we are bombarded with advertisements that somehow seem to have a significant influence on our purchase decisions. I do not mean that they are purposely bad for you have to admit they do give valuable information to the consumers and they encourage healthy competition. It is just that sometimes advertising causes us to make purchases that may be unnecessary as of the moment. A perfect example would be buying a new cellular phone. You have to ponder upon if it is really time to replace your old reliable mobile unit. I know that there are so many new models with the latest features that you would want to have one yourself but you have to consider if you have a valid reason for buying a new model.

I believe that there are valid reasons when it comes to upgrading to a new phone. If your mobile phone cannot function anymore because it got destroyed and you badly need one, then buying a new phone would be a good option. I suggest that if you find your phone malfunctioning, have it checked by a technician to see if it can be fixed for quite often people just throw out good cellular phones when the problem could just easily be corrected. If you tried to have it fixed and it is beyond repair purchasing a new model is a very valid reason.

If you just want to be "in" by having the latest technological gadget it is still justifiable as long as you have the financial capability to support your luxury. The problem occurs when you buy a new mobile phone and you do not have the money for it. Sure, you can charge it to your credit card but if you will just be paying for the exorbitant interest charges without being able to pay for the amount just yet because you do not have the budget, then I suggest that you forego your plan of purchasing a new phone and stick to the old one you have if it is still usable.

I guess the important aspect that you have to consider is that you could still make and receive calls and keep in touch with people. You can do away for the mean time with camera phones or those with MP3 players or PDA features while you do not have the extra money to spend. Learn to be practical.