By: Revanche

Suckered By The Discount?

April 29, 2010

Have you ever rushed to the store with a soon-to-expire coupon because you didn’t want to “lose” the $15 (off $30 purchase)?  Or gone shopping online to take advantage of the stackable coupon codes expiring in a couple days? Specifically, have you spent money because you could “save” money instead of saving on a necessary purchase?

Guilty and guilty.

It’s a habitual behavior, I’ve noticed.  If you’re ignoring all coupons, it’s easy to keep on ignoring even the juicy ones.  But once you open the floodgates and start matching coupons to sales to cashback sites, it’s on.

Of late, I had to purchase some work clothes because of the Bekins debacle which is the only time I’ve shopped without even considering price. That meant my Bargain Antennae (powered by guilt!) went up, which has cost even more.

My clothes went astray just after I’d already ordered a replacement for the “good” jeans that I detroyed; I went for trouser jeans which are even more elusive than regular jeans.  Supply and demand totally kicked my butt: trouser jeans that fit never make it to the sale rack.

After resolving to suck it up and jump on the fattest coupons I could spot, I was too eager and bought the first pair at only 30% off with free shipping ($69). When a 40% off regular priced merch came up, I couldn’t say no.  I knew it was only a matter of time before I broke the new jeans.  With free shipping: $59.

Confession:  Since I won’t wear jeans to work right now, saying they’re for work is a little disingenuous. 

*Note: I actually wore them to work once.  For a half day, as we had an offsite that included 5 hours of walking for which my knees demand tennis shoes.

At least I won’t buy jeans for more than 3 years as the average life span of my jeans are 2 to 8 years. 

Last night, another sale was on and there were two work-worthy tops in the right size, so I spent another $52.

Luckily I had some forethought. Knowing that I was tempted, I’d redeemed CC points for gift cards so all but $11 of the above purchases totaling $180 was not cash out of pocket. Regardless, that’s a lot of money spent just because there were sales and/or coupons. It’s not that I won’t use them – I’ve cycled through three pairs of pants and 5 shirts over the past 12 days – but it’s definitely a slippery road where buying because of a “bargain” becomes a reflex.

5 Responses to “Suckered By The Discount?”

  1. Karen says:

    … You didn’t share the trouser jean love with me. ?? 🙁

  2. Jersey Mom says:

    I certainly have! But not so much anymore… I’ve let $10 or $25 coupons expire because I know I really don’t need more XYZ and I’ll end up spending more money if I were to use the coupons.

  3. you’re right. this was SO me. i used to be quiet a spaver. now i’m trying to just NOT buy.

  4. I just did this yesterday although it’s been a while since it happened.

    Zales is selling a sterling silver and diamond heart pendent for Mother’s Day for $19.99 instead of their “regular” $119.00 price.

    Even though they were out of the necklaces by the time I got there after work, they were taking orders for the same price (4-8 weeks until they’re ready, but that’s okay for me). I ordered 5 of these things for $108.20!

    The idea is that my mom, both of my younger sisters, my grandma, and myself would all get one…like diamond friendship necklaces. 🙂

    Of course, I’d be $108 richer right now if I had never seen that special…I really hope my sentiment is noticed when I hand them out…

  5. Revanche says:

    @Danielle: Ooof girly. Ooof.

    @Christine: Right now I can’t opt out of those meetings because they ARE useful (both informational to bring me up to speed, and decision making for me to give input and act upon) AND I’m new. 🙂

    I’m hopeful that I’ll find my pace soon, I always forget how long it takes.

    @Red: I’ll never work LESS time than my staff, but I’m going to worry a whole lot less about face time after I’ve established my competence.

    @Anon, 10 am: That’s a fair point, and I’m certainly keeping it in mind as I proceed, but it’s also important to set boundaries as long as I excel in my actual work and that’s made clear. I would definitely never work fewer hours if it led to missing targets, deadlines, or being unavailable when it’s important to be reachable.

    Thus far, I’m not expected to be on call outside of regular business hours and that’s demonstrated by the fact that my boss doesn’t ever try to reach me via phone or email though he can, and doesn’t reply to them either, unless it’s critical or he’s asked to be contacted during the weekend or off hours.

    @Jersey Mom: Well I’m not that efficient YET, but I expect to be. Make no mistake, fewer hours isn’t my goal: not letting work take over my life is.

    @Ginger: Yeps.

    @Ruth: Yeah, my staff are not allowed to work overtime, though I found out that some of them are working unpaid hours and I have put a stop to that.

    @paranoidasteroid: Pretty much what I feel. Why sit around being bored on the very few occasions that I might be bored? It’s vanishingly unlikely that it’ll happen much, but I don’t want to have a prisoner mentality if it does.

    @eemusings: I used to care about being seen at my desk by the big boss, but the structure is different now.

    @Budgeting in the Fun Stuff: Definitely, it’s usually a trade-off.

    @Shelley: There’s definitely a point at which it’s not worth going further up, I’m sure. I’m seeking supervisory experience because I think it’s a valuable skill, but it’s not the only thing I ever want to do.

    I do agree that it makes zero sense to sacrifice your life for a job – they are a business and must go on with or without you. It’s just the nature of the beast. And I do believe that you’re right: the culture may be one of workaholics but that’s also a personal choice. You needn’t conform if you’re always delivering the goods and don’t actually need the hours in office to do so.

    @Anon, 11:18 am: Where you’re incorrect is calling my statements and considerations “complaining.” I’m commenting on the current state of affairs knowing they will likely change, and I’m making sure that I perform higher than standard to make sure that they change in a way that’s beneficial to both me and my employer.

    There’s nothing in that statement that says I’m not capable of handling a corporate environment.

    @I am the working poor: I consider it a fair trade of time and effort for money, but there absolutely must be limits. I understand that the agreement is that I can and will work whatever time is necessary to get the job done – it’s just on me to make sure that I have the resources to get that job done in a reasonable amount of time.

    But if the demands become completely unreasonable or unmanageable, then I’d have to walk away from that job because I cannot let it consume my life.

    @Rina: It really does. I’m getting old!! 😉

    @Funny: I almost want to print up your comment and share it with every one of my staff. I know that seems counterintuitive but they need to know that there’s got to be work-life balance for them too!

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