Couponing can be a fun and rewarding experience, but buyer beware – stores and companies might be trying to trick you into spending more money under the guise of a good deal. Then that defeats the whole purpose of saving money in the first place. Keep a few of these in mind when couponing and shopping so you are always on your toes and not falling for traps and pitfalls.
Don’t Get Sucked In
Sometimes the coupon or deal is a trick to get you into the store. Once you are there, you might find yourself buying things you weren’t planning on buying. The deals look too good to pass up. But this might be a bait and switch if you aren’t careful. Stick to your initial plan or goal when shopping so you aren’t swayed by any good deal that seems too good to pass up. If you fall for the store’s trickeries, you’ll end up spending more money which does not work in your favor.
Deal or No Deal
Is the promotion actually a good deal? Or is it just marketing making you feel like it’s too good of a deal to walk away from? If you get the feeling you have to capitalize now or you’ll be missing out, it might be a way to draw you in. Seasonal decorations are a good example of this. Places will have their décor “on sale,” but the original pricing is marked up so high that is was planned to always be on sale. It just makes you think it’s a good deal, even though stores are selling the items for exactly what they were planning on selling them for.
Wasteful Spending
When shopping deals and steals, be careful of waste. Some things are okay to stock up on, like sodas, school supplies and things that don’t have a shelf life. When it comes to food that is perishable, you might end up wasting money in the end if you can’t make adequate plans to use all of it. Be careful of meats with a fast expiration date or fruit that seems too good to be true, it just might be.
Eyes on the Prize
If you are participating in a free trial subscription or service, don’t forget to cancel before your time runs out. Most companies only offer free trials because they are planning on people to forget to cancel and then they win. Set reminders on your phone so you don’t fall for their ploy. Always be the one who has a leg up on the competition. Play their game, don’t let them play you. You can keep free things rolling in if you have a plan and stick to it.
Companies have marketing schemes and plans to part you with your money. Stay alert when shopping these deals to make them work for you instead of the other way around.