Shopping Blunders

It's not surprising that I'm paying closer attention to where my money is going these days. I'm especially trying to be better about "shopping traps." Here are four things that are my (and might be your) biggest shopping mistakes.

The Coupon
I love coupons, I really do. I wouldn't recommend them or promote valpak.com as one of my favorite sites if I didn't. But I can't allow myself to clip coupons for the sake of clipping coupons. Sometimes we save one or clip one because the deal looks good. I'm all about reserving products and having some extras on hand, but I shouldn't use it if I'll never use the product in the first place. Now when I get a 20% coupon at Kohl's in the mail, I think twice.


Sales Racks
I love a good sale. I love rummaging through those "70% off" clearance racks at my favorite stores. I love finding a bargain. I love getting something that was originally $70 for only $10. But more often than not, when I purchase one of these shirts for $2, or a pair of pants for $5, do I wear them? Not all the time. We're believed to think it's a great deal because we're ONLY paying $5, and we say to ourselves, well, even if I don't wear it or don't fit into it, I ONLY paid $5. You know what? That $5 could've been used toward something more useful. A donation, charity, a birthday present, the collection basket at church, etc. I've also read that a lot of these sales items only crowd our closets, so it's harder for us to find the quality items. Again, sales racks are great, but don't purchase that $10 zebra-printed jacket only to let it sit in your closet! :)


Creative Marketing
It's all about presentation. It's all about catching our eyes. I fell for this at a department store over the summer. I was on my way out after just purchasing a not-so-inexpensive but much-needed tankini. And it caught my eye. The light blue and green-colored bottle placed so nicely in the white picket beach chair, the sexy scent, the name. Calvin Klein suckered me in with their newest perfume, ck One "Summer," like a kid in a candy store. The presentation was so adorable. It reminded me of being on the beach in the Bahamas. When the saleslady told me it was their seasonal "summer" scent, that was it! I HAD TO HAVE IT! They got me. In my defense, it is a great scent, I get lots of compliments on it, and compared to other perfumes, it isn't terribly expensive. But still...they conquered, they won.


Free Gift
We all like free stuff, too. Who doesn't?? But, did you really ever use that football phone you got for free with the Sports Illustrated subscription? Did you use the free make up bag that came with the $60 perfume? OK, maybe you did. I almost fell into one of these traps at a department store. I was completely out of toner that I use and swear by, and usually lasts for months. The toner cost $12. The lady said, "If you spend $25, you get a free lipstick, free moisturizer, free lip liner, free this, free that....it's a $50 value." I said, "I really don't need anything else." She said, "you could purchase a mascara - that's ONLY $15." I almost fell for it, but luckily I remembered that I had an extra mascara at home. I stayed strong and stuck with the toner! It was all I really wanted, and I didn't need more lipsticks I would never use clogging my make-up bag. The free gifts are nice, and if you actually use it, the more power to you, but don't let it entice you too much.