I’m such a last-minute person even though I’ve vowed time and again to do better especially around this time of year. There have been times I’ve done good and either shopped early or somehow managed not to get swept up into the Christmas shopping frenzy because all kinds of overpriced or fake products are literally on the street.

This year though, I caved because I didn’t want to miss out on what I initially thought were good deals except that they weren’t. I saw this fancy hairdryer that I knew I didn’t need but bought anyway. Turns out my old one actually works better and doesn’t consume as much power.

Guess I’ll just give it to one of my friends on their birthday or something. There was also a rug which I could say I needed but didn’t have enough time to "inspect” it thoroughly because the store was packed and it was the only piece left in the colours I wanted and so I rushed to buy only to get home and realize it wasn’t as big as it appeared in the shop but not only that.

It had a multiple stains too which led me to think it wasn’t brand new as I’d been told! It had probably been brought in from someone’s house! With the store closed for Christmas, I couldn’t return it immediately and couldn’t lay it out in my house either.

Anyone who’s gone through this understands the frustration. Suddenly, the sense of urgency is gone and you wonder why you just didn’t wait! When I was finally able to return it several days later, I couldn’t get a refund although I have to give the sales people some credit for offering to clean it free of charge.

Too late though because I’m over it and just want my money back. I think what makes it even worse is that I found another store that not only has a wider selection but their prices are lower and they even offer free delivery!

Why didn’t I come across this one before wasting my hard-earned money? Well at least it wasn’t furniture, a car or some other major purchase. I would have lost my mind!

And my experience is in fact not as bad as what some of my colleagues have experienced with impulsive buys, including one who bought a wobbly entertainment unit she couldn’t return because the hawker vanished and another who bought a suit without trying it on first and when he tried to get his local tailor to resize it, it was completely ruined.

I’ve learnt my lesson though, for real this time. From now on, I will try not to buy anything on a whim and in the event that I can’t resist the urge, I will at least look at three different shops just to make sure I get the best deal.