During a course of an email exchange I was asked if I ever take a break from couponing/refunding?
The short answer is, “Of course”. No one can go 25 years straight chasing every deal. You’d wear out.
I stockpile so I can coast through the poor-sales times, the poor-income times and the just-cannot-get-to-the-store times. I look at refunding and couponing as a way to stretch my money. This segways into my advice for most people: get the best deals you possibly can to see you through the lean times and allow you to allocate your money elsewhere. Let’s say the average American household spends $200 a week for a family of four for groceries/H&BA and cleaning supplies. By getting their cleaning supplies and H&BA items for free, they now can choose to shop healthier via better cuts of meat or more produce or more organic products. Or, they can choose to save that cash for a “rainy day”.
Remember it is not how well someone else does couponing, it is how you can best accomplish savings for your household utilizing the stores and sales in your area.
So it ok to take a break, to feel overwhelmed, to take a pass on that freebie or moneymaker because you just did not have the time or energy. Heck I write up a Sunday “must do” deals list and most weeks I get to less than 3/4 of the deals I mean to. Prioritization is the key. Family first, deals second.
So take a break if you need to. Everyone needs a break. Even me.
