Am I Spending Too Much Time Shopping??

Updated on June 10, 2011
S.G. asks from Vernon Hills, IL
25 answers

Ok, so I am addicted to saving, finding good deals, etc... I'm not quite as crazy as some of those ladies you see on TLC, but I'm afraid I might be getting there. I will spend, on average, 3-4 hours a day clipping coupons, reading blogs, and working TreasureTrooper just to find the best deals. If you were to take my savings and turn them into earnings, then I guess I'd be earning around $15 an hour doing all of this stuff so I try to look at it as a part time job that I can do from home. My husband thinks I'm crazy though, and spending way too much time on this stuff... Am I???

What can I do next?

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M.L.

answers from Chicago on

Just as most others said - personally I couldn't fit that into my schedule. I tried the couponing thing but I have a full time job and two young children - I don't have the time.....However, I like to find a bargain - BUT - it's only a bargain if you'd be buying it anyway!!!!!!!!!

3 moms found this helpful

T.B.

answers from Bloomington on

I am all for saving money, but are you really enjoying life dedicating all that time to material things?

2 moms found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Daytona Beach on

i always look at it as "do i need this or am i just buying it because it's on sale?" am i spending more than i would normally by using the savings merely because they are there?" like the lady on TLC who bought like 75 bottles of malox (sp). i mean, won't it go bad? and the women who say that by stocking up and spending what they have, they actually saved $20-40,000 over 2-3 years. how much would they have saved by just shopping normally with those coupons? that's how i look at it. if it's a buy on get one, do you really need 12 of it? but if you do, and you have the time, and you enjoy it, go ahead and do it. oh, and i also find that most of the time, the store brand is cheaper than the sale/coupon price anyways.

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B.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

If you have 300 tubes of toothpaste on a shelf, you haven't saved a thing on toothpaste, even if you got them all for free. I have watched several of those shows about extreme couponing and I have done some myself. My best deal was when I took about $300 out of Jewel Osco for about $10. I don't do it anymore because it was too expensive time wise and my family was more important. One of the extreme couponing shows showed a single guy, living by himself, that showed off a closet full of maxipads. Even though he got the maxipads for free, he was foolish.

If your husband says you are spending too much time on bargain hunting, then he probably sees you spending time to save a few dollars where the time could be better spent with your family, him included. Additionally if you are spending 3.5 hours per day, 7 days a week and you are not spending a dime on groceries, that means you would be spending $350+ per week on those groceries. That's way too much. I spend about $40 per week for the two of us for groceries and household items. I spend 6-7 hours per week doing research, clipping and shopping. And when I say shopping, I mean driving to the store getting the stuff and driving home.

IMHO, Limit your bargain hunting to the time you have left over after the kids are taken care of, the house cleaned, the clothes washed and put away, the dishes washed, etc and when your husband is not at home. Then he probably won't have any complaints about your bargain hunting.

Good luck to you and yours.

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B..

answers from Dallas on

My way of thinking, is usually..."I wouldn't have to ask, if it weren't true."

How many different stores do you drive to? How much gas is spent? Is your husband feeling like your not spending enough time with family, because of this? Are you doing it, because it helps...or because of the thrill? Do you choose to do this, over other things that truly need to be done? DO your kids at times, take a backseat when you're doing this? Do you get frustrated if they need something, while you're planning?

3 moms found this helpful

N.A.

answers from Chicago on

I don't know how you manage the time to spend 3-4 hours! I don't even have time to put my hair up! lol... That is ALOT of time spent on "shopping" or cutting out coupon's. But then again, depending on what your buying, I watched that extreme couponing show and the things they were buying was alot of processed frozen food's, basically the majority of it was junk, things that I pass up at the grocery store. And they way they have it stored in their home's would just make me crazy! What I don't understand is why don't they donate some of those things to a local charity? There's noway that can last over a year! Food for thought I guess! But keep letting your hubby know that your saving money and even let him go shopping with you to see how much you have saved..

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M.O.

answers from Chicago on

I think 3-4 hours a WEEK would be ok. But per day?

That's just me tho. I have little kids, so I'm lucky if I have time to match coupons to ads before I leave for the store. LOL

2 moms found this helpful

S.J.

answers from St. Louis on

Depends - is other stuff not getting done because of your "addiction"? Is the stuff you are buying stuff you actually need?

I would say if you are creating a good balance and are making $15 an hour, you are doing quite well!

=)

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C.F.

answers from Boston on

As long as your getting things your family actually needs and uses - your doing pretty good :-)

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T.C.

answers from Dallas on

It depends. Are you able to fulfill your responsibilities? Kids getting enough attention? Hubby getting enough attention? If the answer is yes to all of those, then you're fine! You are saving your family money.

I did that for a while too, and it TAKES TIME to be able to find all the deals, organize the coupons, and get ready for your shopping trips. But once I had baby #3, I just couldn't put the focus on it. So I haven't done it since. But I literally saved hundreds of dollars. I LOVED shopping at CVS because I would buy stuff for $100-200 and only pay $0.25 by rolling the ECB...so fun.

anyway, I think you just have to gauge your responsibilities and attention that your family needs and see if you're keeping it balanced. If so, then keep it up! If not, then likely you are spending too much time on it.

1 mom found this helpful

M..

answers from Ocala on

I think you should spend more time with your husband.

= )

1 mom found this helpful

L.M.

answers from Kansas City on

1. It makes YOU happy.

2. It saves you money.

3. No one is getting hurt

GO for it! It could be worse... you could be drinking instead.

You get thumbs up from me. It is only a hobby I guess (But, if you are getting concerned that this is becoming more of a habit than a hobby, you could start to cut down a little of the time spent on saving money - no pun intended. Make more time for your family..)

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J.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

.

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

What are you BUYING??? I find that the more you remove yourself from ads and stores, the less you spend on things. If I were to browse for deals all day, I'm sure I could find great ones, but the truth is, if I just stay away, I'm not even tempted to spend and "save" by not purchasing at all because I'm removing that temptation.

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P.R.

answers from Cleveland on

Unless you're buying stuff just bc you find a "deal", seems like a great PT job. If you're only buying what you're buy anyway, more women should do this!

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J.F.

answers from Chicago on

Do you really, truly need all that stuff? I see people buying all kinds of items just because they are going to save some money on them...but the thing is, your part time job that is 'paying' you $15 an hour is costing you all the $$$ you spend to purchase those items. So in other words if you spend $100 just so you can save $20 and not because you actually need those items at the moment then you have a problem. Buy what you NEED not everything that is on sale.

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Y.D.

answers from Chicago on

As long as you're buying stuff that you can actually use at some point. I do it also. It is very addicting and in the beginning I was running around to 3-4 stores every day, buying all kinds of stuff, some of which I would not normally buy.
Now I only go for things that are really a good deal and I truly need.
I have a small stock of basics like shampoos, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes etc, so I don't run to the store to get those at this point because I probably have 6-12 months worth in the closet. But if I see other things that I need I will go. Since I only started going for things that I need at the moment, I've cut my time reading the blogs and clipping coupons to probably about an hour a week total.
I'm a stay at home mom so I consider this part of my job, saving money, finding deals, but I have to admit that I was spending too much time on it at first. I think the way I do it now works much better. I still save money and get the deals, but don't go crazy over it anymore.....

M..

answers from St. Louis on

I think if you have the time and patience for it, its a great thing. Its like another job. I think its great to save your family money. If only I could get on that train. I do shop around a lot and compare prices vs. quanity, when I buy anything, but Im horrible at the little coupons. I just never really get coupons for the stuff that I always buy. I know you can go to websites and register for coupons though. I really need to start doing it. I think your doing a good job!

N.R.

answers from Boston on

Good for you. I just can't do it. I get really proud of myself when I find a deal and use a coupon to get a better deal but just can't be bothered to take the time to do all the research. I give you credit. I get commissions on everything I purchase so to me that's my coupon clipping. :)

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J.S.

answers from Chicago on

The real question here, in my opinion, is do you want, need, and use all the things that you're buying? If not, then you're just spending money (and certainly you aren't saving any money). If you weren't searching for deals and using coupons, would you buy the EXACT SAME THINGS? If so, then I you're right, it's like a part-time job. If not, then you might try giving it up for a while to see how things change.

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A.B.

answers from Chicago on

If you like to shop and save money I would like to tell you about what I do. I do get to shop for what I need and save money, also while making money as a SAHM that works from home. I would love to share it with you and I am sure if you like what you see you might focus the energy instead of on shopping on working from home like me. Let me know what you think. ____@____.com

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H.W.

answers from Portland on

Well, consider the value of your time. I rate mine at about $25 per hour, when working. Now, if you are saving as much as you rate your time, then it's not a waste--provided you are actually using all the coupons you save. Then, deduct the cost of gas/time if you are making special stops just to save a dollar or two. Totally not worth it, in my opinion. So, from my perspective, if you are saving an actual 50-100 dollars each day, it's paying off. If not, consider doing something else.

and really, though, if it isn't keeping you from getting the obligations fulfilled or pulling you away from the kids, it's probably not the biggest deal in the world if you spend your time that way. (bad pun, but true!)

A.J.

answers from Williamsport on

Whenever one of us says, "but I'm saving X amount at this price" the other says, "Yeah, it's even cheaper not to buy it at all."

This frustrates me at the grocery store when I want to buy MORE of something we always need while it's on SALE while my husband doesn't have the math skills to comprehend that and still only wants me to buy one week's worth. I know the deal will pay off to buy more for less, so I shop without him. But when people buy things they don't need because they are good deals, the line is crossed.

If I NEED an outfit for a specific occasion, and I REALLY don't have one. THEN I will go about finding the best deal I can come up with something that will work, hopefully getting pieces that are timeless and can be worn again etc, so occasionally "deal shopping" is in order.

But I NEVER just go out shopping for fun and convincing myself prices are great once I get there. Or seeing something on sale and THEN deciding I need it. I did when I was young, single and working, but not now that I have no income and I budget for the whole family.

Only you know your budget and your beliefs. Are you ONLY buying things you need, and then on THOSE, you are finding deals? Are you staying afloat easily with NO DEBT?

If you're finding random deals and then shopping accordingly for things you don't need, and carrying credit card debt because of it, you are shopping too much.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

It completely depends on YOUR schedule and YOUR situation.
For me, 3-4 hours a day would be too much.

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

I think Peter Walsch said, "If the best thing about it is the price, you don't need it." Really, do you need all these things you are buying? I can understand groceries and necessities - coupons are great. I suspect you are spending more money buying things that are good deals than you would be if you just didn't buy those things at all.

One week I clipped coupons from the newspaper and matched it up with the ad paper for my grocery store and I ended up spending WAY more than if I had just went to the store and bought only what I needed and was on my list.

I just bought a bunch of stuff I didn't really need, and of course, you have to buy multiple items to get the discount. I had realized that they "got" me - here I thought I was saving all this money with coupons, but I ended up spending more money. I great scheme - you THINK you are benefiting but you spend more money that way.

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