I had planned my Walgreens, CVS, and grocery store lists carefully. I noted which items would likely have coupons in my stash, which would have in-ad coupons or store rebates/ECBs/RRs to help keep the Out of Pocket expenses down. I had made a serious dent in clipping all that I needed to and organizing for my trips.
But all that work was in vain. Midnight on Saturday the 13th came and the sales for the week were expired. I never executed any of the super shopping bargain-hunter dream plans. Even those for Walgreens with the extra $10 off $40 coupon for Friday & Saturday only.
To make matters worse, we went to Shaws and grocery shopped without a list, or coupons...we were hungry...and the whole family was there! That was really the opposite of bargain hunting.
Needless to say, I am really disappointing myself. I pride myself on finding the best deals for the stuff our family needs (or can donate, if it is a free or super cheap item)...but the flip side of things is that I hate walking in to a store and buying retail! I even avoid shopping sometimes when I need to pick something up for fear of overspending. It's like an illness -- I am full of guilt, especially when I just KNOW I have a coupon for those granola bars or laundry soap at home. I put off going shopping until I've done my due diligence -- so I can be on the look out for the best deals, and have my coupons ready and linked to the list.
When I am prepared and I get in on the deals I feel GREAT! But I just don't feel like shopping anymore when I am not "prepared". This is a total disservice to my family who is looking to my guidance in the kitchen (there must be more to dinner than pasta!) and relies on me to be sure there is toilet paper in each of the bathrooms. This week, I can say that I failed on both counts, unfortunately. It really is tied to my bargain shopping perfectionism.
So now, I know, my goals are to strive for shopping trips earlier in the week, a menu plan after looking at the sunday flyers to see what is on sale, and shaking this bad habit of trying to be perfect. I know that I am much more useful to my family if I can break free of this "illness". Wish me luck!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Hampered by Bargain Shopping Perfectionism
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3 more things to say about this:
I don't know--you certainly are inspiring me!
Aw, don't be so hard on yourself! We all stumble sometimes, and it sounds like, all in all, you have a good plan and a good system.
Funny thing is, I had a similar problem Saturday. Forgot my list and couldn't run home to get it -- I had a tiny guy-free shopping window. So I wound up with too much stuff I already had and not enough of things I really needed. ((Sigh))
I gave up on coupons years ago. The expirations are so short these days I always wound up throwing more away than I used -- so clipping became a not efficient use of my time.
My biggest hurdle these days: Going to the store hungry. Which is why there's an evil pack of Oreos in my kitchen right now as the result of Saturday's list-less trip!
Debra
http://9to5to9.debralegg.com/
I'm with you, I hate buying expensive clothing and the like, even if I can afford to pay for them. I use the power of google to find coupon codes for most online stores that I shop on, they even have printable ones for places like Old Navy, CVS and Target. Just google the search term, like "babiesrus coupon code" and it will come up with a bunch. I always google whatever I'm shopping for, even if it's a mom and pop website. We ended up saving $250 on our laptop since I found an awesome coupon code for it.
Good luck!
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