Saving money vs. simplicity

[Sam_2.0]

I used to love extreme couponing. I had a stockpile in the garage to last us several years (and we are still working through it). I loved getting things cheaply and stocking up. It was nice to save so much money and keep our family stocked with what we needed.

But now I am sick of the clutter. We are working through our stockpiles but I have no desire to get more. I am thinking of getting a Costco membership when the new baby is born and just buying a box of diapers each month instead of running around to get the deals. I've been grocery shopping and only getting what we need for a week, so my pantry and fridge/freezer and less cluttered. I want to finish emptying out the deep freezer in the garage and unplug it for the summer to save on the electricity since we don't need the space.

Instead of saving something I might use again, I am throwing it away or donating it. If the item costs less than $5 and I don't use it on at least a monthly basis, out it goes. The only thing I am saving back are DD's clothes in case this next LO is a girl.

Maybe it's the realization that we will be in our 1000 sq ft 2br house for another couple of years. Or just getting tired of living with so much stuff everywhere. But at this point in my life I am willing to pay more to get things as we need them and not keep much on-hand. We just paid $260 for a dumpster to haul off the contents of our garage. It was so freeing!!

I also like having my free time back. I go to the store once a week and it takes me maybe 45 minutes to get there, get what I need, and get home. I do this on Sunday afternoons while DD is sleeping and DH is putzing around with his guitar. I'm no longer running all over town to get things at the lowest price. If Aldi does not have what I need, I run across the street to pick it up at HyVee. Easy peasy, done. Not the most financially savvy, but at this point in my life I need time more than money.

[swamp]

I'm with you Sam. I have no desire to chase deals and have a huge stockpile.

If something is on sale, or I have a coupon, I'll buy a few. For example, I have about 8 boxes of cereal in my pantry. That's plenty. But I generally do all my shopping at price chopper or Walmart, and I go once a week. So I spend a little more, so what? My time is worth more right now.

[Sam_2.0]

Not that there's anything wrong with the deal chasing and stockpile making. It's fun to do and can really save people a lot of money. I guess I just moved to a different phase in life for now and sometimes I feel guilty for wasting money by not buying things at the absolute rock-bottom prices. I am just too tired.

[swamp]

There's nothing wrong with it if you have the time. I don't, and I dont want to make the time.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

As with many things, it all comes down to balance and personal preferences.

I am currently in a simplify / declutter / organize / prepare for moving mode ~ so I'm not really concerned with longterm stockpiles of a lot of things.

That being said, we recently had the chance to buy a bunch of cat litter at a great price, so we now have about a dozen containers neatly stacked up in our garage. (We're post garage clear-out/haul away, ourselves!) We also have a nice stash of toilet paper, paper towels, and Fiber One cereal for the same reasons ... saw a good deal, had the space, so took advantage of sales.

When my wonderful DH is out of town, I like to grocery shop on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays (different store). This gets me out of the house, lets me get fresh items right when I want them, and keeps things pretty flexible.... and I can always decide NOT to shop 3 days/week, too. (We always have food in the house, it just may not be my first choice.)

Some days, I'm in a super thrifty mode about one thing, but not another. In the end, it's all good and my budget's happy.

[wvugurl26]

I used to do it all the time as well. And then I moved to an area with insane traffic and rude people, customers and store staff alike. I'm still using up some stuff. I have a Sam's Club membership. I love to buy stuff and be done with it for a long time.

I check the store flyers and I'll go for a great deal but I no longer have a fistful of ECBs at all times. Sometimes I go weeks between setting foot in a grocery store besides Wegman's.

I look at it like I'm in a different place in my life. Yes, it was very helpful when I made $10/hr and had a $225/month car payment and $585 rent. I'm not in that place anymore and I'd rather have the time. I'm at work/commuting 11.5 hours a day. Running around to multiple stores doesn't work for me anymore.

[vonna]

I have always hated shopping, and I only shop for what I need.  So, if a coupon "falls in my lap" and is something I am buying anyway, I will use it.

I think I am missing the "shopping gene" -- so, while others may find "better deals" -- I probably spend less overall than many since I shop only out of necessity.

 

 

[Sam_2.0]

That's the other thing. I am getting the appeal of shopping at Costco. Not because it's that much cheaper, but because you can buy in mega bulk and make fewer trips. And, because you have to pay for a membership to shop there, you don't seem to have the crazy nut jobs that our Walmart does. I could go to Costco over across the state line and only have to deal with crazy soccer moms, not the crack heads that frequent our Walmart.

[Deleted]

This definitely resonated with me. Coupons don't exist here. So when I left my old job in Jan 2009 (with a really nice severance package) I decided I would "shop smarter". I went to at least three stores every week. But, I wasn't working, I didn't have little kids anymore, and I had the time.

I kept it up for about a year, until I went back to work. Once I went back, it became too difficult. We do most of our shopping at the equivalent of "Aldi's" but at the time they didn't carry ANY brand names (they do carry a few now). So every time I went there, I'd have to go to a "regular" supermarket for certain items.

That's still somewhat the case, but I've become much less strict about it. If most of what I need is from the regular supermarket, I'll go there, and buy the store brand for the rest, rather than make a special trip to Aldi's for just a few items. If most of what we need is not brand-name items, I'll go to our "Aldi's", and do without the rest, or stop at the regular supermarket on my way back.

Time is money and money is time. Life goes in cycles. Sometimes we have more of one, and less of the other.

ETA: Like Vonna, the "shopping gene" passed me by LOL!

[Peace Of Mind]

I hate shopping and I hate being out of stuff so I'm very thankful I have plenty of room for great deals so we can load up on things we use regularly.  We have tons of cabinets and shelves both inside and the garage.  But I also like things simple and organized so it's neatly put away.  So I say both - if it's possible! 

ETA:  DH is the shopper in our family and he lets me know when he finds these great deals.  I get no credit at all for that except the organization parts.

[Deleted]

Like POM, I hate shopping and I hate being out of stuff. Unlike POM, I don't have a lot of room for storage. It pisses me off to have to run to the store because I'm out of washing powder or soap or whatever, so if I have less than a week's worth of something I pick a day to go get some more. While I'm there, I pick up whatever else I need, whether it's on sale or not. If I see a great deal on something, I buy more than usual. Since I hate shopping, I try to limit how often I do it.

I have a friend who loves couponing and chasing deals. A couple of months ago, her husband told her "Enough!" They have enough of a stockpile for him. So, she'll ask me if I use certain brands of things because she saw a deal and has some coupons. If I do, she picks it up for me and I give her her money back. That way, she still gets her shopping fix and couponing thrill without getting in trouble with hubby lol. I'd never ask her to shop for me, but I happily accept when she offers to go get me this great deal she found.

[sheilaincali]

Sam- that's the direction DH and I are going in.  Really trying to simplify our lives.  We keep a pantry of commonly used items (spaghetti noodles, a couple of jars of sauce, black beans, rice, etc- the staples if you will) but otherwise I don't like to keep a bunch of misc stuff on hand just because it was on sale.  We go to the store once a week (usually Saturday mornings early) and get everything we need for that week's recipes.  I'm not brand loyal- I get whatever is cheapest that week.

Sams Club/Costco= we priced it out and found that Sam's Club has the cheapest milk in town- like $1.50 per gallon cheaper than the grocery store.  DH and DS drink 2 gallons per week.  That $3 a week savings comes to $156 per year with is way more than the $40 a year membership fee to Sam's Club so it works out in our favor.  The trick is to only get what you need and to look at the "per unit" price.  If it's going to cost you $9 a Sams Club to be 6 cans of soup and those cans cost $1.25 each at the grocery store you aren't saving anything by buying in bulk.  I think sometimes people always assume that bulk is cheaper but it really isn't always the case.  Avoid the impulse aisles at those places- that's where they suck you in.  PLus don't bring the husband or the kids with- they just talk you in to buying things that aren't on your list.

[Sam_2.0]

Hahaha, so true, sheila. We went to the free Sam's preview weekend to check things out, and DH came home with a recliner.  

[Sam_2.0]

That's a pretty good deal, Pink Have you asked if you could shop her stockpile? I used to do the same thing for my mom & sister when I was really into it. DH would freak out if I brought home one more bottle of detergent so I would call them to see if they wanted it because I really just wanted to shop.

[Sam_2.0]

(duplicate)

[wvugurl26]

I also hate running out of things. Especially here because if you leave at the wrong time traffic is a nightmare.

There are some things that are bad deals at the warehouse stores. I don't buy those but I do buy quite a few things. And sometimes I might pay a little bit more to get the big box so we aren't always out. I bought a 600 pack of napkins Saturday night because I'm tired of running out.

I also find that the coupons and sales are not as good as they were a few years ago.

I make menus and do a big shopping trip every 2 weeks around my payday. We have staples we keep but I generally run through most of the meat in that 2 week timeframe.

I also get deals now and then from Amazon's subscribe and save program. They had my laundry detergent at the sale price I buy at, free shipping. I ordered, then cancelled the subscription after it arrived.

I used to love, love shopping. I still like it for some things but I'm kind of over it. It might be different if I hadn't moved here.

And you might see if you can get a business membership Sam through your DH. My brother and I have one piggybacked on mom's. I love the extra early shopping hours, even fewer morons to deal with. ;D

[constanz22]

I'm heading in the same direction.  I was a HUGE couponer and stockpiler back in 2009-2011.  Deals started drying up last year and this year, mainly due to that stupid "Extreme Couponing" show...But, anywho...I used to get tons of extra coupon inserts, chase every deal, etc., but for the past almost 2 years, the only inserts I get are the one in my Sunday paper and whatever coupons I can print online.  So, I rarely do "multiple deals" anywhere.  I used to be at all 3 drug stores almost every day.  Now I often go a week to two without stepping foot in one.  I don't do Walgreens at all anymore and still (rarely) do Rite Aid and CVS.  I still have huge stockpiles, but, too am getting sick of the mess.  I have had to toss stuff that's expired and that makes me sick, even if it  was "free".  It still cost sales tax, time and gas to get it.  I did benefit greatly from my big stockpile cuz I was able to sell a lot of excess HBA and cleaning items at yard sales for a nice profit, but again, it's a lot of work. 

I still grocery shop at 2 or 3 stores and cherry pick the best deals, only buy what's on sale, etc. 

I do not have a Sam's membership cuz it's just not worth it for a single person household.  But, my mom has one and we went recently when she was visiting and I found a few things that I felt were DEFINITELY worth buying once to last the year and not worry about trying to find deals.  I bought their brand Zyrtec, which I take every day, for $15 for 400 pills!  I had just left Target and spent $8 after some good store and manu coupons on like a 25 ct.!  So, I bought the 400 count and don't have to worry about it for a year or more.  I also found their brand Ibuprofen, three 500 ct. bottles for like $13.  I take a lot of Ibuprofen and this is dirt cheap!  The other thing I bought that I thought was worth it, that I rarely find good deals on, was a huge pack of kitchen trash bags.  Forget how many but was $9 and change.

[thyme4change]

I'm a strong believer in keeping it simple.  Especially when stockpiling creates more costs - as your freezer example.  Your savings can be totally wiped out with a little extra electricity bill.  I know a lot of people who have purchased a bigger house because they need storage.  I don't care how much free shampoo you get - it probably won't even pay the increase in your tax rate, much less for the bigger house.  

[constanz22]

And a testament to the lack of deals these days, just look at the Grocery Challenge thread.  It is half way through the month and it's 3 pages long.  2 years ago, it would be 20 pages long by this point.  And our veteran deal guru "frugalsuz" shut down her blog last year partly because it was too much work to track down the few measly deals that were out there. 

[Sam_2.0]

The free preview weekend at Sams is coming up the first weekend in August (if they do what they've done for the past five years or so). I am planning to go in & buy several boxes of diapers for the LO so that we won't have to get out for awhile for those things. And I will make a list of what's cheaper to buy there & in bulk (like TP - I hate running out of that!!!). And mom has a membership to Sams while MIL has one to Costco, so I guess I could always just tag along with one of them for a bit.

[wvugurl26]

I buy Quilted Northern at Sams Club. It's just for me since I don't share my bathroom but I hate being out. It seemed like I was forever chasing deals and I was tired of it. I buy about 2 packs a year from Sam's and I love it.

[wvugurl26]

Stupid boards won't let me edit my post!

If you go to the Sam's Club website, you can select your club and search for items you want and it'll give you the in store price.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I love our Sam's Club membership.  We've paid for the membership several times over just with diapers/wipes.  They are also I've found the cheapest place for boneless chicken breasts.

Even if it isn't a super deal price per unit sometimes it's still an advantage because we don't shop/buy.  DH insists on Dawn dish soap only.  I bought a giant container at Sam's. Per ounce it wasn't a great deal but we haven't bought dish soap in MONTHS and it keeps DH happy.  We've saved by not having to purchase more dish soap.

I'd also rather have one big jug sitting on our counter than trying to store dozens of smaller bottles.

[ilovedolphins]

I am also trying to clean up my stockpile to declutter my house.  Clutter really stresses me so I am working on decluttering.

[HappyCat]

Sam: Mr. Cat turned me into a minimalist when we got married and it's great. My sisters all make fun of me because I carry such a small purse with only the basic essentials (id, credit/debit card,phone,keys and lipstick/chapstick). I've gotten to the point now that clutter in my home or car makes me nervous although it doesn't bother me away from home or when I visit others. I still look for deals when we shop and try to save money but I have exactly ONE laundry detergent in my laundry room. I agree that the simplicity is more of a benefit than saving pennies. I'm not knocking those who coupon or stockpile, by any means...to each his own...I'm just saying I like simple.

[Shooby]

  I don't stockpile.  I don't coupon.  I don't look for sales or deals.  For ME, the MORE i look at merchandise and the more stores i go to, the more on spend on stuff i dont' need and resultant clutter.  Now, i limit my shopping to only a few stores that have the things i need.  I hate shopping and the less time i spend doing it, the less i am going to spend and buy.  I have found no reason to stockpile.  In reality we have enough canned goods to survive whatever disaster hits be it loss of power or whatever.  Having more is just more to store and mostly likely more of what i won't use.  It makes no sense to buy a 99cent can of green beans if i am really only going to consume a 59 cent can.  Even though the smaller one might cost more per ounce, it is really SAVING money to buy and use only what i will actually use.  Otherwise if you spend the 99 cent and throw half of it away, what is the point?  At least that is my approach.  Buy what i need and will actually use.

[wvugurl26]

We got Dawn there recently during a Plus membership coupons for everyone week. It beat the per ounce price of a $0.99 sale at CVS plus coupon. And beyond that I was sick of being out of Dawn every time I turned around!

I hate running out of things because the traffic around here can make running to a store 3 miles away a hour plus ordeal. Not to mention the 20 minute line you will wait in to buy the item. I don't keep tons of stuff but I will keep a backup and a reasonable stock of what I know we use all the time. The fewer shopping trips I need to make the better.

[murphath]

Constanz22 is correct: there are not as many deals out there since Extreme Couponing began it's TLC run. Although I do use coupons and stockpile some things, I found that show to be very unrealistic. No store around here (Nor. Calif) would allow someone to do what they were doing.

With that said, I have all my stuff along some shelves built on one side our of garage. And, yes, we still park two cars in there. I do like being able to go out there and find what I need instead of having to run to the store. Although the deals aren't as plentiful, there are still some to be had. I'm just pickier.

As far as clutter goes, I hate it as well. You'd never know I had a "stockpile" if you walked into my house. It's very "zen". Amazing how simple it was to declutter once the kids grew up.

We belonged to Sams when my DH owned the restaurant. Once he retired, we let it expire. We'd have to cross a bridge and pay the $5 toll. Not worth the 32 mile round trip.

[Deleted]

I had a moment where I looked around the house a few months ago and felt utterly disgusted with the clutter.  Having kids makes it so much worse.   I'm not an environmentalist or minimalist but the sheer amount of stuff felt wasteful and spoiled.

I order toilet paper from subscribe and save on Amazon, it's the cheapest I've found it. We've cleaned out the garage, donated a ton of stuff, organized DS' toys better, and I'm in the process of clearing out the closets.  It feels good.  I'm trying to be much more conscious of "Is this a good deal and do I need it" rather than just buying if it's a good deal.

[Sam_2.0]

Anne - that's a good point about S&S from Amazon. Maybe I will do that with diapers & TP from now on. That way I can get the good deals but they get delivered to my house. I wonder if they are pretty comparable to warehouse club prices? Those are the two main things I was going to go to Sam's for.

I'm also looking at multi-purpose cleaning products and getting away from some of the harsher chemicals. Dawn, washing soda, borax, and vinegar are cleaning our clothes and our house right now. Looking at some castile liquid soap for bathing and hand washing, as well as cleaning veggies.