I’ve been taking advantage of deals galore, but I actually feel unfrugal. Why? Because I’m still shelling out money all at once!
A lot of times, frugality is about finding ways around buying things. You make your current items last longer. You put off buying until there’s a sale. You ask yourself whether you really need that item at all. Now add in fatigue, which means I just put off buying stuff because it’s tiring. Now add depression, which means I put off buying things because even a simple task can feel overwhelming.
In other words, purchases just don’t get made around. Eventually, a good enough sale — or pure need — spurs me to action. I then get around to various things we need and am subsequently hit with a pile of bills. No matter how good the sale, it’s hard to feel frugal when you’re looking at the debits in your bank account.
I finally bought new shoes. I’ve been meaning to do it for over half a year. That’s how bad it is. I even blogged about how I found a decent deal, then when that didn’t work out a nearly-as-good deal. And how I was going to pounce. Fifteen days later, I finally made the purchase. Not a bad deal: 20% off plus 10% back through Mr. Rebates for an end total of $40 for $60 shoes. Still, ouch.
Not to mention the $28 I spent at Walgreens for my protein bars, which are a big part of my current diet. Previously, I got them with Amazon gift cards through Swagbucks, but the rates got hiked ridiculously high. I found a BOGO50 sale at Walgreens. So I paid $6.37 a box instead of $8.49. Still, four boxes came out to over $25. Minus 7% cash back, of course.
Then Drugstore.com for some facial care needs. Extra pricey because I’m once again giving into vanity. As in, I broke down and got some RoC anti-wrinkle cleanser and serum. I hit a 20% off sale, so I got those two things plus an eyeshadow I had loved in the past for around $27. Minus — say it with me now — cash back (7%).
Oh, and let’s not forget the dumbbells from Sears. Great deal, but still around $26.50 out of the account. No cash back because I used a special, merchant-direct coupon.
Over the weekend, Tim got on my case about having more jeans. Apparently, having one pair in your current size and one in a slightly lower size isn’t actually enough. Especially if one pair has rhinestones.
We hit an Old Navy sale, getting two pairs: one $15, one $19. Tim had needed a belt for ages, and we found one for $12.50. The total was a little over $50 after tax. We had to go in person so I could try on the styles, so no cash back.
All in all, I’d say I got very good deals. But they all happened within 10 days, so that’s around $122 out of the account.
Oh, and now we’re out of cat food, which is around $15. We’ll pay with Amazon GCs, but it’s still money out of our account and into saved savings.
Do you guys put off purchases and run into this problem?
Molly says
Yup, for the same depressed/overwhelmed thing. People don't get that but its so true. Just thinking about it makes me want a nap…
Abigail says
Exactly. And sometimes the nap actually does help. Also, hiding under the covers for 15 minutes or so can be very soothing.
Donna Freedman says
Yep. I go for weeks without buying much of anything and then dive into shoes (four pairs at a time — a great deal with cash-back and coupons, but still more than $200 total), or discounted gift cards (which I tend to buy in batches — they cover expenditures for the next couple of months, but eek!).
Or I'll get a massage a week before I get a haircut. Recently I bought a ticket to FinCon14 and nearly wept at the price ($1,777) even though it's a business expense. Trouble is, I don't get to claim it until next year's taxes. And that's not counting the hotel bill — even though I'm splitting the cost and about 5/8ths will be a business expense, it's still a big chunk out of pocket right now.
Today I got a medical bill: $263. It's just never-ending spending, but what am I going to do — NOT get the tests that I need so he can continue to prescribe maintenance meds?
The budget will withstand all these blows. It just FEELS as though it won't.
On the bright side: Just about all my holiday gifts will be covered completely by gift cards from various rewards programs, and I already have most of the ingredients I need for the sea-salt caramels and peanut brittle I send out to business acquaintances. I keep reminding myself about that, to talk myself down.
Abigail says
Exactly! It just feels relentless!
And I do love those salted caramel and am always okay with a gift card. So at least I'm easy to please, right?
Kat says
My fiancé had been on my rump for trying to eke out without getting essentials because the hit on the accounts just looked too high. For instance, due to the lack of UV, I need to use a relatively expensive skin line to counter the effect it has on my skin (dry as a dessert, and doesn't shed the way it should). By expensive, I mean that a bottle of one product can be over 100. Admittedly, that bottle lasts me over a year, but I still don't like taking the hit- especially if one or two products run out at the same time. The same's true of wardrobe essentials (wearing flip flops in winter is doable in a mild climate, but not recommended).
So we worked out the idea of a list. That list is of things that we will need 3-6 months out. I check for deals on the items about once a week- and that check also includes prices I find for products we've bought in the last year. I have until one week before the date listed next to each thing, then it's buy it at whatever price it's going for at that point. It keeps my "it could get cheaper" excuse in check. By searching for the prices over a year, I get a good idea of when I am going to get the best for deal. It also means I spend the money that really will save us- L.E.D. lightbulbs that get a credit from our power company, same with window films (which do need to be replaced every few years), and replacing faucets that don't have regulators in them. All of those products paid for themselves in under 3 months and will last at least 4 years. I just had to get over the idea of spending 5-10 bucks on a lightbulb. We even bit the bullet and bought smart bulbs for our outdoor lights. Yes, they have lightbulbs that can sync with your tablet and phone now. I laughed, but it means we don't have to leave the lights on, or use a motion detector (which raccoons set off regularly in this area). They have paid for themselves in under 2 months.
Abigail says
The list is a brilliant idea! I'm glad you're working on the idea of overpaying for stuff you need. I don't think a $100+ bottle that lasts over a year is THAT bad a deal. Think about it like this: It's essentially a medication, right? It helps with your medical condition. And something high-end would probably be higher up on the co-pay tier. So really $100+ isn't too bad.
If it makes you feel any better, the Philosophy stuff we buy for Tim's face is $70 — and that's discounted on eBay. Ugh. But I then did the math on the per ounce price, and it was actually a slightly better deal than even Neutrogena that I was using. $70 for 8 oz vs $12.59 for 1.4 oz.
Just a thought.
Kat says
I wouldn't mind if it was one product with the honking big price tag, but it's actually a multi step system that a dermatologist pieced together to fix the issue. Sun, even under sunscreen, stimulates a number of physical reactions in skin- including the ability to properly shed dead cells. To fix this issue, I use a cleanser, an acid toner, an antioxidant serum, then a hydrating gel and moisturizer. That's not including the eye cream and antioxidant formulation for my lips- which I still have to apply lip balm over. The lip stuff is because of how fast lips shed, and the eye cream helps keep the purple discoloration from looking like I've got two shiners. The combined cost? Makes my wallet curl up in the corner and rock back and forth.
Abigail says
Sounds like I'd join your wallet. Stupid specialty stuff.
Catseye says
Yeah, I do this fairly often, especially during this past year. It happens to everybody sooner or later, so don't beat yourself up about it, Abby. :o)
Abigail says
At this point, I've learned not to beat myself up thankfully. But it still hurts. And it gets you to the point where you're convinced you'll never be done with the big expenses. Sigh.
Rosa says
this is the downside of all that waiting and planning – eventually, you actually need pants and shoes to wear, and sometimes that forces your hand.
The good news is you had the cash to spend, because of all the waiting and sale-watching and previous frugality.
BTW, how many bars in a box? I found generic protein bars at Aldi for $3/4 bars, that were comparable to the Zone bars I like (I forget the actual numbers on them, I did the original comparison a few years ago.)
Abigail says
There are 6 in a box. I'll keep the Aldi bars in mind. I like these (Pure Protein) because they have a crap ton of protein (30g) and almost no sugar. And actually tastes pretty good. Though they taste better the less regular chocolate you eat because then the comparison isn't as stark.
Impossible Girl says
When it rains, it pours, right? You never need like, one thing now and another thing next month. It's always NEED. EVERYTHING. RIGHT. DAMN. NOW.
Abigail says
Couldn't have said it better. I'm sure in the next month or two, Tim will discover his shoes are going or something. Sigh.
teinegurl says
Whew! I feel you on that. May and August are some of my hardest months financially. I have 3 birthdays in May including my son's and 2 in August my daughter and nephew. Even doing cheap birthdays at home with food made at home, no gifts, no decorations it still hits my pocketbook. Not to mention school starting in August so i also needed school supplies and a couple of kids clothes for both of them. I spent about $100 for the supplies and both kid's teachers sent home list wih additional things. Ugh I think you should to either try to break up the purchases or just do it all at once and get it over with but either ouch! Can you buy kitty food in bulk?
Kat says
Yes, yes you can. Either ordering larger bags, or buying multiple bags on sale. If you do choose to go with the large bag, and you have a small cat, portion into ziplock bags and get as much air out as you can. Since cat food has a high protein and fat content, while it's fairly shelf stable, it can get stale with extended exposure to air. You can also buy pallets of wet food, and there's no need to portion those out any more than you would if you buy normally. I actually get all of my pet food using Amazon Prime- you get really good prices, and someone else hauls it to your front door.
Donna Freedman says
You can also access Wag.com through a cash-back site like Mr. Rebates or Extrabux. Wag gives free shipping even for heavy items like litter and kibble.
Abigail says
We keep ours in a plastic storage container, which seems to help. But Sandy needs wet food because of her teeth. Still, I need to just suck it up and invest so we don't have to worry about this every 3 weeks.
Abigail says
That's a lot of birthdays in a row. My supervisor has two sons, both with birthdays in August, and I think one of her grandkids has one too. It's a crazy time, and I can't imagine it's easy on the pocketbook.
Punkin Pye says
I like to stockpile when stuff is at rock bottom price, but It can still be a shock to the pocket book. I keep telling myself that it is better to buy 30 28 ounce cans of tomatoes at 68 cents each instead of buying them as I need them for $2.29 each. Same thing with coffee. Buy 20 bags of Starbucks coffee for $3.99 instead of $10 to $12 dollars a bag as needed. I keep telling myself that all this actually saves us money, but it sure doesn't feel like it at the time.
Abigail says
Exactly! I need to buy things cheaply through Amazon or a pet store or whatever because eventually I'll spend the money anyway. Probably more because it won't be on sale when we need it. Still, stocking up to save in the future means you watch a big chunk of money wave goodbye. And that just doesn't feel frugal.