Who doesn't like getting things for free? I don't know a single person who won't stop in the grocery store for a free sample. So little seems to be free now that we'll take any freebie we can get and run. Freebies aren't always around when you are shopping, so how do you get them? Glad you asked!
I am a self confessed freebie junkie. I will get ANYTHING (well, almost anything) for free if I can. After about 10 years of digging across the Internet, I have found some great ways to get freebies in quite a few categories.
First, you need to find a couple reliable sites that catalog freebies daily. You can find some on the sites I posted earlier (BensBargains and SlickDeals), but there are sites that really put a lot of freebies together. My favorites are http://www.totallyfreestuff.com/ and http://www.sweetfreestuff.com/. Also, the coupon site http://www.savingsmania.com/ has a good freebie section, but they don't necessarily update daily. You can also check store websites, like Walmart or Kroger, to see if they have any freebies available. I have gotten everything from a Guiness magnet, to a t-shirt, to full sized products, all mailed to my front door. Can't beat that. Just be sure that any link that you click on is actually a free item, not a "participation in offers" required site. You can easily tell by the first page you go to. If they only ask for your e-mail address, and there is a little link at the bottom that says "Terms and Conditions", you are probably looking at a too-good-to-be-true kind of offer. If you try to go through with one of these, your e-mail may be spammed into oblivion. I just recommend staying away from them for sanity's sake.
Second, you need to be willing to get some e-mail on a semi-regular basis. By this, I mean you need to sign up for some online mail lists and programs. One example is http://www.kraftfirsttaste.com/. This, of course, is run by Kraft and features their family of products. By joining the program, every month or so they make coupons or samples available to their members. The most recent offer I signed up for was this week. They will be mailing me coupons for one of each of these items: Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh lunchmeat (the new varieties), DiGiorno Deep Dish Pizza, Kraft 100 calorie cheese packs, Kool Aid Fun Fizz, Kraft Mac and Cheese Homestyle kit, Ritz Crackerfuls. Yep, each coupon will be for one of the item FREE. After I've had enough time to get the coupons and try the items, they will e-mail me a link to a survey to see what I think. Hey, I figure a few extra minutes online to answer a survey is worth a couple free meals.
These type of advisory programs are available all over. You just need to sign up for the e-mail list for any product you use regularly. Sometimes they will ask if you are willing to take surveys and try new products. Free stuff...heck yes I'll fill out surveys. I've done this with Harlequin books. I periodicaly go out to their website, http://www.eharlequin.com/, and request a couple free books, then cancel the program after I get my free books. Because I'd been a member for several years, they asked me to be on their advisory panel. Oh, darn, I'm a Guinea pig for corporations. And I get to tell them what I like and don't like, which may make improvements in products I already buy. Sounds like a real hardship, doesn't it?
Also, if you sign up for e-mail lists for restaurants, you can get freebies. I get at least 10 offers for free dinners, desserts, or buy one get one free offers for local restaurants for my birthday each year, and most of the offers are good for anywhere from a week to a month around the day. I got something free each day for a week around my birthday this year. I was a happy girl. This also works for kids. My son is a part of every kid's club (all contact is through my e-mail, of course) I could find. We get free food from just about any place that has a kids menu. I even signed up for chains that aren't local, just in case we are traveling around anyone in the family's birthday. That makes traveling cheaper. During the rest of the year, we get coupons for different things, like buy one get one or a free or reduced price for new menu items. We've gotten pretty good at being able to get two adult entrees for the price of one anytime we eat out.
Third, you need to be willing to save receipts and UPCs. There are rebate offers all over, and sometimes there are gift with purchase offers that you can send in for. One example of this is the Dove tote bag program. For 3 years, they offered you a free tote bag with free samples and some coupons if you purchased a certain amount of products within a certain time period. You just needed to fill out the printable form, and enclose your receipts with it when you sent it in. They turned out to be really nice tote bags, and I didn't need any travel sized products for a long time. It really wasn't all that hard to do, and I was already getting the products. I've also gotten mail-in rebates for toilet cleaners, snack foods, and cheese, among others. It's a little work and a stamp, but getting a check for $5 or $10 here and there is worth it.
Last, you can sign up to have a house party for a product. This a new type of viral marketing that invests in people, not traditional advertising. The premise is this; you go out to a site like http://www.houseparty.com/ and sign up, then fill out an application to host a party that sounds interesting. If you are accepted, you use the provided site for planning your party and inviting guests. A week or so before the party you will receive a party pack from them containing coupons (free product for the host, really nice dollar off for your guests), party favors, host gifts, and more. You host the party on the agreed upon date, have fun with your friends and take some pictures. After the party, you post the pictures on the provided party site. You will be sent a survey to complete as the host, and then a survey to send to all your guests to fill out about their experience. It's a great way to get people to try your new products, get feedback, and have people spread the word for you. I've hosted a party for Jell-O Mousse Temptations/Your Shape for the Wii, and one for DiGiorno Pizza. It's easy, inexpensive, and a great excuse to get your friends together. Everyone had a great time, and I got some cool stuff to keep.
This can sound pretty weird until you start getting things in the mail. I have a couple baskets in my upstairs linen closet that have samples for just about any personal care product you could possible ever need. I never need to buy small sizes when flying, and I haven't had to buy deodorant or toothpaste (unless I get a coupon deal that makes them free) for a couple years now. I have tried out tons of snacks from a variety of companies for free, and had a great coupon to buy a full sized box if I liked it. I've even recently applied to test a new HP wireless printer (don't know if I'll get that one yet.) It's fun getting things in the mail, and even more fun trying out products knowing that you didn't lay out any money to try them.
I imagine that there will be even more ways to sign up for freebies in the future. I've seen some you can get by texting from your phone or by using Twitter, neither of which I do at the moment. All I know is that I will always be keeping my eye out for ways to get things for free. Now if you'll excuse me...I haven't checked Walmart's site for freebies yet today.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Coupon Game - Part 2
The last post was about coupons for grocery use. This one is the really fun one for me, coupons for other stuff. It's like a giant scavenger hunt with your little prizes being online, but your big prize being where ever you want to shop.
I gave one example about the deal I got on a Victoria's Secret bra in the last post. Here's another one I got today. I've been trying to replace a lot of white tops for the summer, but I don't have a lot of money to use. In yesterday's mail, I got a $25 Express gift certificate from one of the survey sites I participate in (more on that in another post), so it was time to dig. First, I went online to see if they had tops I was looking for. I found some I liked that were buy one, get one 50% off. The next step was to look for coupon codes or printable coupons. I found a code for 15% off your total order, which happened to be the best deal. Off I went to the local Express store to try on the tops to make sure they worked. They did, and I pulled out my coupon and gift card. My final total that I had to pay out of my own money...$1.35 for two tops.
Coupon codes and printable coupons are your friends. There are many sites that post great deals, like BensBargains.net and Slickdeals.net. Some also keep track of active coupon codes, like CouponMountain.com. They even typically tell you when the different codes were posted and expire. I use those, but when I know I'm just looking for a deal at my favorite store or site, I just use Google.com. The best way to search that I've found is by typing in the name of the store, followed by the words "coupon" and "code". So, when I was searching for Express coupons and codes, I typed in "Express coupon code". It brought up a TON of sites. I just dug through the first 4 or so to get an idea of how many valid codes were out there and what they were for, made my decision, and printed it out.
Coupon codes are really simple to use online. Almost every online vendor has a spot at checkout where they ask for any discount or coupon codes. If they ask, they probably have them out there. All you have to do is quickly search, and you can find codes for dollars off, percentage off, free shipping, and even free items. If you don't want to search for the codes or use sites like the ones I mentioned earlier, you can just sign up for the e-mail lists for your favorite stores. They will e-mail, and sometimes snail mail, you printable coupons and coupon codes. I've gotten everything from percentage off to coupons for free items by doing this. I haven't bought a panty in 3 years because I've gotten a bunch of coupons for free panties from a variety of stores. Hey, any lingerie is expensive, so I'll take all I can get.
The big thing to check when using the codes online is to see how many codes you can use at a time. Some you can enter several codes, one after another. Some only allow one. Some, like Victoria's Secret, only let you enter 3 at one time. Just start with your best code, and keep adding as many of the others as they will let you.
With printable coupons or any coupons snail mailed to you, you need to read the fine print. Sometimes you can only use the coupons on regular priced items. Sometime special categories of items in the store , like Fashion Bug's MVP (most valuable price), aren't eligible. Sometimes you can use them on anything. It just depends. I always feel like I've scored when I find a $10 off $10 or more coupon at a store with no restrictions on what items I can use it on. I go straight to the clearance section and get as many items as I can get that get me as close to $10 as possible. It works great.
Again, this does require a bit of work and planning, but it is so worth it. It adds to the "hunt" aspect of "the coupon game" and I find it a ton of fun. Now it's time for me to head out to search for more great deals.
I gave one example about the deal I got on a Victoria's Secret bra in the last post. Here's another one I got today. I've been trying to replace a lot of white tops for the summer, but I don't have a lot of money to use. In yesterday's mail, I got a $25 Express gift certificate from one of the survey sites I participate in (more on that in another post), so it was time to dig. First, I went online to see if they had tops I was looking for. I found some I liked that were buy one, get one 50% off. The next step was to look for coupon codes or printable coupons. I found a code for 15% off your total order, which happened to be the best deal. Off I went to the local Express store to try on the tops to make sure they worked. They did, and I pulled out my coupon and gift card. My final total that I had to pay out of my own money...$1.35 for two tops.
Coupon codes and printable coupons are your friends. There are many sites that post great deals, like BensBargains.net and Slickdeals.net. Some also keep track of active coupon codes, like CouponMountain.com. They even typically tell you when the different codes were posted and expire. I use those, but when I know I'm just looking for a deal at my favorite store or site, I just use Google.com. The best way to search that I've found is by typing in the name of the store, followed by the words "coupon" and "code". So, when I was searching for Express coupons and codes, I typed in "Express coupon code". It brought up a TON of sites. I just dug through the first 4 or so to get an idea of how many valid codes were out there and what they were for, made my decision, and printed it out.
Coupon codes are really simple to use online. Almost every online vendor has a spot at checkout where they ask for any discount or coupon codes. If they ask, they probably have them out there. All you have to do is quickly search, and you can find codes for dollars off, percentage off, free shipping, and even free items. If you don't want to search for the codes or use sites like the ones I mentioned earlier, you can just sign up for the e-mail lists for your favorite stores. They will e-mail, and sometimes snail mail, you printable coupons and coupon codes. I've gotten everything from percentage off to coupons for free items by doing this. I haven't bought a panty in 3 years because I've gotten a bunch of coupons for free panties from a variety of stores. Hey, any lingerie is expensive, so I'll take all I can get.
The big thing to check when using the codes online is to see how many codes you can use at a time. Some you can enter several codes, one after another. Some only allow one. Some, like Victoria's Secret, only let you enter 3 at one time. Just start with your best code, and keep adding as many of the others as they will let you.
With printable coupons or any coupons snail mailed to you, you need to read the fine print. Sometimes you can only use the coupons on regular priced items. Sometime special categories of items in the store , like Fashion Bug's MVP (most valuable price), aren't eligible. Sometimes you can use them on anything. It just depends. I always feel like I've scored when I find a $10 off $10 or more coupon at a store with no restrictions on what items I can use it on. I go straight to the clearance section and get as many items as I can get that get me as close to $10 as possible. It works great.
Again, this does require a bit of work and planning, but it is so worth it. It adds to the "hunt" aspect of "the coupon game" and I find it a ton of fun. Now it's time for me to head out to search for more great deals.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Coupon Game
I remember as a child going grocery shopping with my father. Yes...Dad did the grocery shopping. He would go with a list, but he would just pull stuff off the shelves. This was great when I was in the teenage "experiment with the hair and makeup" phase (it was the 80s, so sue me), but he never looked at sales or coupons. He just didn't think coupons or sales were worth it. If he needed it, he just got it.
This seems to be a common thought process. Quite a few people I know never touch the coupon section of their paper or look at the store specials. Most of them have never heard of coupon codes, and don't understand why you would actively seek them out. This is something I have been changing in myself and all my friends.
Coupons are your friends! They are a way to seriously save on everything you purchase, everywhere you go. They are even better when you combine them with the sale circulars from your local stores. Let me explain by giving an example.
Today I was flipping through the paper and found the Target circular (we love Target) and saw that they have a variety of Kashi items on sale. This always catches my eye because we love their cereals, cereal bars, and frozen foods, but they are pricey. Too pricey to get without a sale or coupons in my humble opinion, no matter how good they are. This, however is a REALLY good deal. $2.88 an item, and if you purchase 5 you get a $5 Target gift card. Sounds pretty good, right? I can make it better with the magic of COUPONS. Whenever we see those coupons lying about in dispensers at the grocery store, we grab at least 3 for any product we get on a regular basis even if we aren't buying any that day. Boy does that pay off, like it will later this morning. We have a variety of coupons for anywhere from $0.75 to $1.oo off Kashi items. This means that we will get our Kashi products for $2.13 to $1.88 each, plus we get a $5 card for every 5 items we buy. If you take that into account, we are getting the Kashi items for $1.13 or $0.88 EACH!!!!! Not too shabby, right? Plus, it really didn't take that much effort to do.
This kind of thing can apply to ANYTHING you buy. Another example should illustrate this. Being female, I am always on the lookout for a good priced bra. Hey, those things are EXPENSIVE! Anyway, I was out on the Internet perusing my favorite freebie sites (more on that in a later post), and I saw a good deal listed for a Victoria's Secret bra, lotion, and panty for $11. That, my friends, is a deal. When I looked at how the deal was done, this was what I had to do. I added the appropriate bra and panty to my cart, then when I got to check out I put in three codes (Victoria's Secret allows 3 coupon codes per order). One code was for a percentage off, one was for the free lotion, and one was for the free panty. After that, I checked out to a grand total of $11.65 for the WHOLE THING!!! I may not have needed the lotion, but that could go into a box I've started to keep for stocking stuffers or quick gifts. FREE IS FREE!!!!
The trick with coupons is learning how to use them to their maximum. First, find out how your local store handles coupons. Do they double? Do they have triple coupon days? Do they double all your coupons? (This is a big one in my area because one store I go to only doubles one coupon for any item, and you only get face value for the rest on the same item.) Can you use multiple coupons on the same item? (Most of the time this only works if you have a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon.) The BIG thing to look for at any store you shop at is if they have a store savings card. Most of the time these are free. We had to pay to join at a local health store, but they gave us a coupon for that amount to use in the store on anything, so it was essentially free to join. Those savings cards really help, and sometimes give you bonus advantages beyond special sales. Some will total up your purchases and then give you money off a purchase. Most of the time, they will allow you access to coupons you can pre-load on your card (once you register it on the Internet) to use at the store, and you can typically stack that with another coupon. I've also entered instant win contests, and had coupons for the full price of items loaded on my card. Hey, free frozen pizza is a free dinner!
The next step with coupons is to check your circulars. It seems like a pain, but for about 15 minutes worth of planning your shopping list, you can get at least 20% off your order on average. First, try to only buy things on sale so you are starting with a discounted price. Then check your coupons. Most stores will only double a coupon that has a face value of $0.50 or less. Grab as many of those $0.50 coupons as you've got so you can get an additional $1 off each sale item. Also, check for buy one, get one free offers. You can use 2 coupons, even if you are technically only paying for one item.
Now here comes the part that people get squeamish about...talk to the people in the store and actively seek them out. When you see an item that says something like "3 for $5", ask if they price has already been reduced on each item to reflect that price, or if you actually have to buy 3 to get the special price. Most of the time, you can get the special price on just one item. Plus, you typically only have to talk to the store people once about this because they can let you know what the store policy is about this type of special.
To acquire coupons, there are several methods. The first, and most common, is to get your Sunday paper. They typically have coupon flyers in there and you can do the traditional clip and save. The other place to look for more coupons is to check your magazines. They have been putting inserts into magazines now, and occasionally printing them on the pages. You can check in stores for the dispensers. Most of the time, those coupons are good for a couple months, and there should be one sale on that item in that time frame. The Internet is my favorite place to look now.
Yes, you will have to get online and be prepared to print!!! There are coupon sites like SmartSource.com, RedPlum.com, and others out there. You can search for other sites, like SavingsMania.com, that have a more diverse set of coupons than just grocery. Some sites like this one keep track of mail-in offers and rebates as well as standard coupons to print. Also, requesting free samples from companies is a good way to get coupons, as they tend to enclose a coupon with the sample (and a pretty good one at that.) The best place to get high value coupons is from the companies themselves. Any name brand product you use or ever think of purchasing, go to their website and sign up for their e-mail list. Yeah, you are going to get a lot of e-mails, but you will get links to coupons that the general public won't. Sometimes they even send you coupons for a free full size product when they introduce new items. It's worth the extra 5 minutes deleting e-mails to get those coupons.
I know that this post has mostly been about dealing with grocery coupons. I promise, I'll get to online coupons soon. I'm just so geeked to get my list together and go get my deals at the grocery store today! Time to go freak out the Target cashier with how cheap I'm getting my Kashi for! Time to go play.
This seems to be a common thought process. Quite a few people I know never touch the coupon section of their paper or look at the store specials. Most of them have never heard of coupon codes, and don't understand why you would actively seek them out. This is something I have been changing in myself and all my friends.
Coupons are your friends! They are a way to seriously save on everything you purchase, everywhere you go. They are even better when you combine them with the sale circulars from your local stores. Let me explain by giving an example.
Today I was flipping through the paper and found the Target circular (we love Target) and saw that they have a variety of Kashi items on sale. This always catches my eye because we love their cereals, cereal bars, and frozen foods, but they are pricey. Too pricey to get without a sale or coupons in my humble opinion, no matter how good they are. This, however is a REALLY good deal. $2.88 an item, and if you purchase 5 you get a $5 Target gift card. Sounds pretty good, right? I can make it better with the magic of COUPONS. Whenever we see those coupons lying about in dispensers at the grocery store, we grab at least 3 for any product we get on a regular basis even if we aren't buying any that day. Boy does that pay off, like it will later this morning. We have a variety of coupons for anywhere from $0.75 to $1.oo off Kashi items. This means that we will get our Kashi products for $2.13 to $1.88 each, plus we get a $5 card for every 5 items we buy. If you take that into account, we are getting the Kashi items for $1.13 or $0.88 EACH!!!!! Not too shabby, right? Plus, it really didn't take that much effort to do.
This kind of thing can apply to ANYTHING you buy. Another example should illustrate this. Being female, I am always on the lookout for a good priced bra. Hey, those things are EXPENSIVE! Anyway, I was out on the Internet perusing my favorite freebie sites (more on that in a later post), and I saw a good deal listed for a Victoria's Secret bra, lotion, and panty for $11. That, my friends, is a deal. When I looked at how the deal was done, this was what I had to do. I added the appropriate bra and panty to my cart, then when I got to check out I put in three codes (Victoria's Secret allows 3 coupon codes per order). One code was for a percentage off, one was for the free lotion, and one was for the free panty. After that, I checked out to a grand total of $11.65 for the WHOLE THING!!! I may not have needed the lotion, but that could go into a box I've started to keep for stocking stuffers or quick gifts. FREE IS FREE!!!!
The trick with coupons is learning how to use them to their maximum. First, find out how your local store handles coupons. Do they double? Do they have triple coupon days? Do they double all your coupons? (This is a big one in my area because one store I go to only doubles one coupon for any item, and you only get face value for the rest on the same item.) Can you use multiple coupons on the same item? (Most of the time this only works if you have a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon.) The BIG thing to look for at any store you shop at is if they have a store savings card. Most of the time these are free. We had to pay to join at a local health store, but they gave us a coupon for that amount to use in the store on anything, so it was essentially free to join. Those savings cards really help, and sometimes give you bonus advantages beyond special sales. Some will total up your purchases and then give you money off a purchase. Most of the time, they will allow you access to coupons you can pre-load on your card (once you register it on the Internet) to use at the store, and you can typically stack that with another coupon. I've also entered instant win contests, and had coupons for the full price of items loaded on my card. Hey, free frozen pizza is a free dinner!
The next step with coupons is to check your circulars. It seems like a pain, but for about 15 minutes worth of planning your shopping list, you can get at least 20% off your order on average. First, try to only buy things on sale so you are starting with a discounted price. Then check your coupons. Most stores will only double a coupon that has a face value of $0.50 or less. Grab as many of those $0.50 coupons as you've got so you can get an additional $1 off each sale item. Also, check for buy one, get one free offers. You can use 2 coupons, even if you are technically only paying for one item.
Now here comes the part that people get squeamish about...talk to the people in the store and actively seek them out. When you see an item that says something like "3 for $5", ask if they price has already been reduced on each item to reflect that price, or if you actually have to buy 3 to get the special price. Most of the time, you can get the special price on just one item. Plus, you typically only have to talk to the store people once about this because they can let you know what the store policy is about this type of special.
To acquire coupons, there are several methods. The first, and most common, is to get your Sunday paper. They typically have coupon flyers in there and you can do the traditional clip and save. The other place to look for more coupons is to check your magazines. They have been putting inserts into magazines now, and occasionally printing them on the pages. You can check in stores for the dispensers. Most of the time, those coupons are good for a couple months, and there should be one sale on that item in that time frame. The Internet is my favorite place to look now.
Yes, you will have to get online and be prepared to print!!! There are coupon sites like SmartSource.com, RedPlum.com, and others out there. You can search for other sites, like SavingsMania.com, that have a more diverse set of coupons than just grocery. Some sites like this one keep track of mail-in offers and rebates as well as standard coupons to print. Also, requesting free samples from companies is a good way to get coupons, as they tend to enclose a coupon with the sample (and a pretty good one at that.) The best place to get high value coupons is from the companies themselves. Any name brand product you use or ever think of purchasing, go to their website and sign up for their e-mail list. Yeah, you are going to get a lot of e-mails, but you will get links to coupons that the general public won't. Sometimes they even send you coupons for a free full size product when they introduce new items. It's worth the extra 5 minutes deleting e-mails to get those coupons.
I know that this post has mostly been about dealing with grocery coupons. I promise, I'll get to online coupons soon. I'm just so geeked to get my list together and go get my deals at the grocery store today! Time to go freak out the Target cashier with how cheap I'm getting my Kashi for! Time to go play.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Step 2 - You did what?
"You did what" seemed to be a good title for the second stage of the evolution of Zen Shopping. It sometimes seems strange, but the change in thinking has worked well. Bear with me.
After working on the mental attitude change, I decided that I needed a new start. I got ruthless with my closet. Anything that didn't fit (too big or small)...gone! Anything that didn't look good on or fit into the new clothing styles I wanted...gone! If I was in doubt, I got a friend to look at me wearing the outfit and be ruthless. Kind, but ruthless. If it wasn't working, it needed to go.
Yeah, that left some BIG holes in my wardrobe. I had to figure out what worked for my lifestyle, which is never easy. I created my mental list of things I needed so I wouldn't be caught flat-footed and have to do emergency shopping (the most frustrating thing on the planet). I got inspiration from "What Not to Wear" (no, I'm not a fan...not at all), "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style", and a variety of books and websites. I also paid attention to what I would reach for time and again when I would get dressed in the morning, and what I ran out of most quickly (I hate doing laundry unless I have a huge pile to do.)
Okay, I've got my list, now what? How do I shop and have it be fun and not break the bank? I have an addictive personality, which means I'm not good at restraint. I had to find a way to work around that and make it fun. I made it a game. I'm good at games, and I'm competitive, even with myself.
Here are my rules:
1) There is "shopping" and "buying". "Shopping" means that you are just looking at things, and are not planning on a purchase. If you find something that you "need" or "want", it is a bonus and you are happy because you found something. If you don't, you aren't disappointed because you weren't looking to buy anything anyway. "Buying" is when you HAVE to get something. You have to focus, and may need some chocolate in your bag to deal with the stress.
2) I may not pay over my self imposed price for any item on my "need" list, and I must try for sales whenever possible.
3) If purchasing online, I must have at least one coupon code for money off or free shipping. I'll talk more about coupon codes in later entries.
4) "Wants" are just that. They are something you would like to have, but you do not need. If you find a "want", it must be at least 50% off before you are allowed to purchase it and you can't spend more than $20 on the total of "wants". The amount for your "wants" may be different than mine, but $20 worked with my budget at the time.
This was not an easy transition. Compulsive behavior is hard to change, but the rules of the game made it easier. The whole process is now a giant game for me. When I go out shopping, I have a ton of fun figuring out what stores are a good place to "play the game". I don't get tempted as easily anymore, and shopping isn't nearly as onerous.
When I explained the change to my husband, he looked at me and said "You did what?" I had to explain the logic to him, and he was understandable skeptical until he watched it in work. When he saw me apply it to every aspect of shopping as my mindset changed, he started joining in on the fun. We now happily pop into the house after a grocery trip to brag about how much we saved on the trip in store deals and coupons. People look at us like we are nuts when we do a fist pump at the checkout lane, exclaiming "YES!" We don't care, we are "winning the game".
After working on the mental attitude change, I decided that I needed a new start. I got ruthless with my closet. Anything that didn't fit (too big or small)...gone! Anything that didn't look good on or fit into the new clothing styles I wanted...gone! If I was in doubt, I got a friend to look at me wearing the outfit and be ruthless. Kind, but ruthless. If it wasn't working, it needed to go.
Yeah, that left some BIG holes in my wardrobe. I had to figure out what worked for my lifestyle, which is never easy. I created my mental list of things I needed so I wouldn't be caught flat-footed and have to do emergency shopping (the most frustrating thing on the planet). I got inspiration from "What Not to Wear" (no, I'm not a fan...not at all), "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style", and a variety of books and websites. I also paid attention to what I would reach for time and again when I would get dressed in the morning, and what I ran out of most quickly (I hate doing laundry unless I have a huge pile to do.)
Okay, I've got my list, now what? How do I shop and have it be fun and not break the bank? I have an addictive personality, which means I'm not good at restraint. I had to find a way to work around that and make it fun. I made it a game. I'm good at games, and I'm competitive, even with myself.
Here are my rules:
1) There is "shopping" and "buying". "Shopping" means that you are just looking at things, and are not planning on a purchase. If you find something that you "need" or "want", it is a bonus and you are happy because you found something. If you don't, you aren't disappointed because you weren't looking to buy anything anyway. "Buying" is when you HAVE to get something. You have to focus, and may need some chocolate in your bag to deal with the stress.
2) I may not pay over my self imposed price for any item on my "need" list, and I must try for sales whenever possible.
3) If purchasing online, I must have at least one coupon code for money off or free shipping. I'll talk more about coupon codes in later entries.
4) "Wants" are just that. They are something you would like to have, but you do not need. If you find a "want", it must be at least 50% off before you are allowed to purchase it and you can't spend more than $20 on the total of "wants". The amount for your "wants" may be different than mine, but $20 worked with my budget at the time.
This was not an easy transition. Compulsive behavior is hard to change, but the rules of the game made it easier. The whole process is now a giant game for me. When I go out shopping, I have a ton of fun figuring out what stores are a good place to "play the game". I don't get tempted as easily anymore, and shopping isn't nearly as onerous.
When I explained the change to my husband, he looked at me and said "You did what?" I had to explain the logic to him, and he was understandable skeptical until he watched it in work. When he saw me apply it to every aspect of shopping as my mindset changed, he started joining in on the fun. We now happily pop into the house after a grocery trip to brag about how much we saved on the trip in store deals and coupons. People look at us like we are nuts when we do a fist pump at the checkout lane, exclaiming "YES!" We don't care, we are "winning the game".
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