When I was starting out couponing and learning how to save money — and I mean REALLY saving money — I thought that the only way I could do so was to catch every single deal. I would sit down on Sunday morning with my ads in hand and work hard to try to figure out which deals were the best and write everything down. I would then make trips all over the place — CVS, Walgreens, Target…the list goes on.
Sure, I was saving a lot of money and getting free products, but then I realized I was no longer having fun doing it. It turned into an obsession. And quite frankly – not a good one. So, one Saturday evening, I decided that I wasn’t going to even touch the ads on Sunday morning. I needed to take a break.
So, Sunday morning came around. When I picked up the newspaper, I opened it and pulled out only my coupon inserts. I put the rest of the ads immediately into the recycling bin. I almost felt as if I could relate to the cigarette smoker breaking cigarettes in half and throwing them away.
While it was a hard thing to do, I did survive! Who would have thought that I could miss out on more free toothpaste and live to tell about it!? Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure I could. I had become hooked to finding the deals. I was fearful that I would miss out on the “deal of the century” and kick myself. Since I didn’t wan this to happen, I started to do some research.
I started to watch the fliers for products I used and when they were free. I quickly learned that Diet Coke would have Extra Care Bucks attached to it about every 4 – 6 weeks at CVS (at the most). I paid attention to Walgreens and noticed that if I missed out on a deal at CVS the week before, I might find it at CVS the following week – or vice versa. It was then that I had an epiphany – “IT IS OK TO NOT RUN EVERY DEAL.”
Once I realized this and started to let go, I started feeling better. I felt on edge on Sundays. I felt that if I didn’t get to the store soon enough, the products would be gone and I’d miss out and be angry. I do look through the ads and plan my trips. However, they aren’t every single week — or even every two weeks. In fact, there are times I have to MAKE a trip to CVS or my Extra Care Bucks will expire.
If you find yourself trying to run every deal, here are questions to ask yourself:
1. Am I spending more time trying to run deals/save money than with my family?
2. Do I really need one more tube of toothpaste to add to the 14 I have in the closet?
3. Does your heart palpitate at the thought of missing out on free laundry detergent?
If you answer yes to any of these, then you too might suffer from DSS (Deal Searchers Syndrome). The cure? Do what I did — don’t look at the ads. Stay out of the stores. Sure – it is hard, but you’ll actually feel better and learn that it is OK to let a deal pass this time and catch it in a few more weeks.
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Tracie is a stay at home mom to three young children; ages 2, 4 and 6 in Raymore, Missouri.
{ 7 comments }
Thanks, I needed that…..
I can completely relate. I was obsessed in the beginning and I still sometimes fall back to my old ways. DSS is no joke!
Thanks for relieving the pressure and being so transparent. I know everyone has felt this anxiety on some level. What freedom there is to know that there will always be another deal and to prioritize what is really important.
When I got into doing deals, rebates and coupons in February of this year, having left mainframe computer consulting work in 2003 for an extended break which has more or less turned into retirement since I really don’t want to work any longer (lol), my plan was to use them to build a months-long supply of stuff I needed, and then taper off. But first I had to spend a lot of time coming up to speed with everything, learning as much as I could, so I’ve been pretty immersed in this. This actually is the first week where I’m beginning to wind down – the freezers, refrigerators and the pantries are fully stocked, and just about the only thing I’m hunting for now are free or nearly-free deals on non-perishables like dishwashing liquid, paper products, aluminum foil and similar items – hence the deal I did this week on the very cheap boxes of Hammermill printer paper which you eventually figured out how to make money on – lol!
One time I did buy multiple copies of the KC Star to get multiple inserts, but for me I found it better to just get the one copy and order coupons online, as well as using printables like those you highlight on your site. I then do the matchups on the grocery store sales either myself on Tuesday (if/when I get the ads in the mail) or Wednesday morning using your Grocery Database and my own searching. I also created my own Excel spreadsheet to keep track of all my coupons including the inserts (that’s easy using cut-n-paste from the preview sites), so it’s quick work to see if I’ve got a coupon for an item, which saves a lot of time.
I can certainly see this could turn into an obsession with a lot of people, and your points about how much free toothpaste do you need (answer: enough to use up before their expiration dates and no more) and that there’s ALWAYS another deal around the corner are good ones. I know that some people donate what they don’t need to charity, which is good of them, but sometimes there may come a time when they’re using that as a rationale in order to keep ‘scoring’ a deal. I wonder if there’s an addictive adrenalin rush involved like in gambling that drives some people into doing this?
On the flip side, if you’re not letting it take a lot of your personal time you have better use for then it is definitely productive work and actually does make you money. Not working myself, it’s a good feeling knowing that when I score a cereal deal at 55 cents a box after taxes, a cereal I was going to buy anyway, I’m earning the difference in the same way that mowing my lawn myself earns me the fee I’d have to pay someone else to do it. And given the sorry state of this economy and where I believe it to be headed, every dollar saved is going to matter.
I’m no expert on obsessiveness but if you’re getting anxious feelings about possibly missing out on a free toothpaste deal or you’re getting angry with your significant other over excessive shopping trips cutting into your personal time, then you probably are obsessed and would be wise to back off for a while and realize it isn’t even close to being as important as you currently feel. On that I agree with you for sure, Tracie.
That is exactly what happened to me. I stated couponing in Nov of 2008 and became obsessed. I couponed hard for all of 2009, chasing every deal that came up. I spent way too much time working on coupons. I was able to give out 10 huge bags of goodies to my family for Christmas but come Jan 2010 I decided it was time for a break. We are using the stockpile and have hardly made a dent in it and I am enjoying doing more things with my kids and husband.
I have been told on a number of occassions that ECB’s at CVS do not expire. I have used a ECB expired date 3/22/10 on 4/1/10- I wasn’t hasseled or anything. The cashier pushed a couple extra buttons and that is it.
I was one that had to run out on the last day to make sure my ecb didn’t expire and after being told a couple of times they would ALWAYS take the ECB I learned to let go (obviously! since I used a ECB after it had been expired a week and a half!).
I’m not sure other stores will be so lienent- but this has happened at 3 CVS’s in the Northland.
Preach it sister! ;P I think you are SO dead on, and I don’t think I’m even out of the woods with that mindset yet. It’s gotten a lot better though! It shouldn’t make me feel threatened if I have to pay full-price for something every now and then. Haha, I refuse to be held hostage to the deals!!
Thanks for being awesome!