Wait 72 hours before committing to anything you didn't plan to buy
Avoid impulse buying with the 72-hour rule. Waiting before an unplanned purchase could save you thousands.
Retailers - online and in-store - are experts at manufacturing urgency such as flash sales, "only 2 left," countdown timers. The antidote is simple: wait three days before purchasing any unplanned, non-essential item. Write it down if you need to, then revisit after 72 hours.
Research consistently shows the urge to buy evaporates in most cases. If you still want it after three days, it's a considered purchase, not an impulse. This one habit can save thousands a year, and it costs nothing but a little patience.
That grocery app search result isn't showing you the best deal — it's showing you who paid the most
When you search for a product category on a grocery app like Checkers Sixty60, the results aren't random — they're influenced by which brands have paid for keyword placement. Search "tea" and Five Roses appears first; the far cheaper Checkers own-brand equivalent – Forage & Feast - doesn't show up at all unless you search for it by name – and it’s currently R20 cheaper per 102-bag pack.
Same product, same shelf, very different visibility. Big brands pay for that prime digital real estate, but it could mean that you pay more as a result.
Know when your cellphone contract ends — or face a bill up to three times more
When your cellphone contract expires and you haven't given 30 days' notice to cancel or signed a new deal, your network can move you onto a month-to-month rate — at a dramatically higher price. Nadene's MTN contract was R189 a month. When it expired at the end of May, she got an SMS telling her it was converting to R580 a month. She asked for immediate cancellation and was told she'd have to give that 30-day notice first, meaning she has to pay that R580 for at least one month.
So check your contract end date now.
Set a phone reminder three months out so you have time to negotiate, switch, or cancel on your terms, not theirs.
“Show Me the Podium": the phrase that could save you thousands on car finance
When you apply for vehicle finance through a dealership, the finance manager submits your application to multiple banks - and gets back a "podium" showing every offer, with different rates and terms. They're not obliged to show you all of them, and have every incentive to push the one earning them the highest commission - not the cheapest deal for you.
The hack: say “Please show me the podium." This simple request signals you know your rights, and that you expect every offer on the table, not just the most profitable one for them.
Sold a dud car on finance? Chase the bank
If you buy a used car on finance and it turns out to be a lemon, don’t spend all your energy on the dealer.
The bank that financed it is on the hook too. Our Supreme Court of Appeal confirmed it recently: when a bank finances a defective car, it wears two hats, lender and supplier, so it is liable under the Consumer Protection Act. That means you can cancel the agreement and get your money back, not just chase a refund from the dealer.
So when a dealer and a bank point fingers at each other, remind the bank of that ruling and compel them to cancel the deal. If they refuse, lodge a complaint with the National Financial Ombudsman.
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