Don’t spend money to save money

Have you ever felt like you need to spend money to save money? Getting good deals can be fun, even addicting.  Once you start finding deals, it is hard to stop.  But one thing I have found is that it is easy to fall into the trap of spending money in order to save money.  Every time I’m on Facebook I see bloggers and retailers sharing great deals where I can buy something that is discounted and save tons of money.  Sometimes I fall for the trap, but most of the time I have to remind myself that even if I’m saving money off the original price, I’m not saving money in the bank by spending money.

When I first started couponing I would come home from Publix and proudly show Tom the part of my receipt that had the total amount saved.  I was always excited, especially when I saved more than I spent.  But there were tons of times that I would come home with things I didn’t need or want just because I was able to save more than I was spending.  How stupid is that?  I wasn’t actually saving money in the bank if I was out spending it on stuff I didn’t absolutely want or need.  I’m still trying to get rid of all those jars of pasta sauce.  No matter how hard I try, I’ll never like red sauce, even if it is free.

Just because something is a good deal, doesn’t mean you have to buy it.  I still love checking my daily deal websites and I’ve started only buying things if it is something I would have bought anyway.  For example, I bought two Groupons this month- one for Starbucks and another for a local BBQ joint.  Those are both things we spend money on regularly.  I love when daily deal sites offer something that I already need!

I have, however, had to get off of sites such as Zulilly, as well as limit my time on coupon blogs.  There was a time where I checked my coupon blogs everyday.  Now I can’t read one without having the bloggers try to get me to buy something so they can get a kickback.  Oh, I have affiliate links on my blog too, but I’m so tired of bloggers who talk about saving money try to sell me stuff so they can make money.   I now limit my time on them to once a week or so.   Otherwise I end up getting suckered into thinking some stupid purchase is a good deal that will “save me money”.

Don’t get sucked into the trap of spending money to save money.  If you really want to save money, don’t spend it.  Put it in the bank.  Much easier said than done, right?

Have you ever fallen into the trap of spending money to save money?  Please tell me I’m not the only one!