It's here. The time of year when credit cards and bank accounts start screaming for mercy. We tell ourselves that this year we will be prudent and thoughtful in our spending. Guilt will not influence holiday purchases. Indecisiveness will not cause us to spend unwisely. BOGO offers, cash back incentives, and ad campaigns that proclaim lowest prices or egg us on to buy quickly due to extremely limited quantities will not sway us. We will shy away from signs proclaiming "Doorbusters". However, since society and the world around us won't let us skip the holiday season, it's time to strategize.
Some people throw themselves into the world of couponing with abandon year round. It has become a family activity. Family members spend hours clipping coupons while others are frantically downloading coupon deals from the Internet. A third person (the "Couponing General") peruses the local ads and calculates where to use the coupons to the best advantage while combining them with store card discounts and double coupon days to achieve the maximum discount nirvana. The popularity of this activity has spawned popular shows like "Extreme Couponing" on TLC. (A thoughtful person might say it has likewise contributed to the advent of shows such as "Hoarding: Buried Alive".) Sometimes it feels like the couponers are involved in a competition revolving around quantity not quality (or usefulness) of items. Before you dive into couponing ask yourself; are you looking to save money on groceries or do you want to be the only person on your block with over 50 bottles of ketchup at your disposal? (But they were only .50 a bottle!!!) Your answer will determine whether you are "extreme" or merely a bargain hunter.
The clothing stores are already in full holiday discount swing. Everything is on sale, everything. Is it a bargain if you have to buy two items that are exactly the same thing in order to get a third free? Are those name brand jeans from the outlet mall really worth the "discounted" price? Shouldn't you buy things because you actually need them, not because they were an incredible bargain? Are we really saving money if the store repeatedly rewards our purchases by giving us another incentive to come in and shop again, and again, and again? Of course many those deals and incentives are tied to the store credit card, another avenue of revenue for the store. Gone are the days of our grandparents who used to get "two useful things" (most likely socks and underwear) "and one fun thing" for Christmas. (There was a time not so long ago when three children were thrilled to SHARE the Atari game system they got for Christmas. No child expected or received their own individual game. Bonus if you got candy in the stocking that morning too.)
Once we are able to discipline the shopaholic that resides inside, we can approach the holiday shopping season with less trepidation and more determination. After all, if we look at the bigger picture, there is life after the holidays. (Remember the millennial scare in the year 2000? Didn't the Mayan calendar have the end scheduled for 2012? We're still here and so are the bills.) Whether we're battle-hardened Black Friday goers or online shopping aficionados, there really is only so much stuff that we need or want. So before you make your list and check it twice, remember to use the resources at hand to guide you through your shopping expeditions. You may find that you'll enjoy your excursions more if you approach them thoughtfully, with a goal. Realize that it would be nice to relax in January instead of trying to return unwanted, unnecessary gifts that you may have been "bargain-tricked" into purchasing. Don't let the holidays get the best of you, become a holiday "prepper".
Some people throw themselves into the world of couponing with abandon year round. It has become a family activity. Family members spend hours clipping coupons while others are frantically downloading coupon deals from the Internet. A third person (the "Couponing General") peruses the local ads and calculates where to use the coupons to the best advantage while combining them with store card discounts and double coupon days to achieve the maximum discount nirvana. The popularity of this activity has spawned popular shows like "Extreme Couponing" on TLC. (A thoughtful person might say it has likewise contributed to the advent of shows such as "Hoarding: Buried Alive".) Sometimes it feels like the couponers are involved in a competition revolving around quantity not quality (or usefulness) of items. Before you dive into couponing ask yourself; are you looking to save money on groceries or do you want to be the only person on your block with over 50 bottles of ketchup at your disposal? (But they were only .50 a bottle!!!) Your answer will determine whether you are "extreme" or merely a bargain hunter.
The clothing stores are already in full holiday discount swing. Everything is on sale, everything. Is it a bargain if you have to buy two items that are exactly the same thing in order to get a third free? Are those name brand jeans from the outlet mall really worth the "discounted" price? Shouldn't you buy things because you actually need them, not because they were an incredible bargain? Are we really saving money if the store repeatedly rewards our purchases by giving us another incentive to come in and shop again, and again, and again? Of course many those deals and incentives are tied to the store credit card, another avenue of revenue for the store. Gone are the days of our grandparents who used to get "two useful things" (most likely socks and underwear) "and one fun thing" for Christmas. (There was a time not so long ago when three children were thrilled to SHARE the Atari game system they got for Christmas. No child expected or received their own individual game. Bonus if you got candy in the stocking that morning too.)
Once we are able to discipline the shopaholic that resides inside, we can approach the holiday shopping season with less trepidation and more determination. After all, if we look at the bigger picture, there is life after the holidays. (Remember the millennial scare in the year 2000? Didn't the Mayan calendar have the end scheduled for 2012? We're still here and so are the bills.) Whether we're battle-hardened Black Friday goers or online shopping aficionados, there really is only so much stuff that we need or want. So before you make your list and check it twice, remember to use the resources at hand to guide you through your shopping expeditions. You may find that you'll enjoy your excursions more if you approach them thoughtfully, with a goal. Realize that it would be nice to relax in January instead of trying to return unwanted, unnecessary gifts that you may have been "bargain-tricked" into purchasing. Don't let the holidays get the best of you, become a holiday "prepper".
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