When Buying on Sale Isn't Frugal
Few things make me happier than a good sale, and my stockpile is proof of it. I won't be buying soap, trash bags or deodorant for some time to come, that's for sure.
And yet . . . much as I love a good sale, I've come to learn that there are times when buying on sale just isn't frugal. Like the time I loaded up--and I mean really loaded up--on relish because it was a penny or two a bottle after coupons. What was I thinking?
The good news is that these occasional sales mis-steps have taught me a lot about when sales are a good deal and when they aren't. Which is why I was happy to see BeingFrugal's blog on the topic, which outlines four times when buying on sale isn't frugal. (Unfortunately, overbuying isn't the only pitfall to avoid.)
Take a look, and see if you agree with her list. Then, share your biggest sales mis-steps here. Have you had a relish moment? We want to hear about it.
Note: After writing this post, I decided to check on my current relish stash, and I'm happy to report that both the fridge and pantry are relish-free. Woo hoo!
Thanks for the mention. And I’ve made the same mistake you have. I was just thinking that today, as I was going through my pantry, wondering how I ended up with so many cans of black beans. LOL
Yes, clothes are the thing for me. I am very good at purchasing new clothing from dept stores at extremely low prices. When I see a real bargain it is hard to resist! I am very good at wearing all the clothes in my closet (meaning, there aren’t things in there that I don’t like and don’t wear) however, one day I realized that I had SO MANY clothes that if I wore them all equally, I would only be able to wear each top once every 2 months! Who needs that many clothes?? Even if each top only costs a few bucks and I like it, it doesn’t matter if I have 60 other tops to wear that I also like. Geez. I have learned my lesson, I simply go clothing shopping about once a season now, or less.
If you are shopping only for household, then it’s not a good deal. But if you are stocking up to also give to people in need, then that is a great deal.
As for the clothes, maybe donating and claiming them as a tax deduction would be good (though I don’t know how ethical), or selling them at a yard sale.
I love to use coupons and when I can get a deal like the relish deal I give to the food banks or family members that can use a little help, no matter how small it is always appreciated.
This post made me laugh out loud. My Mom once bought a 5 or 10 pound box of baking soda because it was a “good buy”. She doesn’t bake. She doesn’t use it for cleaning. She doesn’t use it for deodorizing. She doesn’t use it in their laundry. She doesn’t have a cloth diaper pail to sprinkle it in. For all I know it’s STILL sitting unopened in their garage. But the funny thing is that she actually tells my Dad how much money she “saves” them when she does this crazy stuff. It makes him go totally bonkers as they live alone and have two refrigerator/freezers that are packed, a pantry that is packed, and a two car garage that is so packed with foodstuffs and other items that were “good buys” that they can only park one car in the garage! Yikes!
I have had a relish moment! A few years ago I was buying Cattleman BBQ sauce that kept going on sale and I had coupons for so I was getting them free. I can’t tell you how many I got. Don’t want to tell you! But I do know I ended up throwing more than half of them away cause they had expried. It was really sad, even though I didn’t pay for them – it was just a waste.
Now, because I have more experience, I will consider the product and how long it will last and stock up from there.
Like some of the post said, Donate it if you don’t need it for yourself. It’s a really good deal if you get it free and help someone in need at the same time. What a blessing to both you and the other person
A great use for black beans is to drain them and add chopped onion, frozen or canned corn, salsa, grated cheese. My family likes this hot as a dip for tortilla chips. This is great as is but if we have it we add other things to it like avocado, taco seasoned meat or anything else we think would taste good
Absolutely right. I used to always buy the two for the price of one offers no matter what they were. thinking hey i will be able to use that. Mistake, how many times have i in the past gone through my cupboards and had to throw away out of date food i just never got around to using.
Now a sale is only good when the items on sale are things i use regulaly and i know will last.