I rationalized that behavior with the time vs. money tradeoff, "I don't have time to do better!" I thought if I used a coupon, OR bought something on sale at my local grocery location, I had won.
"Tax that foolish man!" I was definitely penalized.
Make sure you put yourself in the right location to get the best prices for the products you need. Don't limit yourself to just a few shopping options.
BIG CHAIN STORES spend a lot of money to build a relationship with you. (rewards programs, care cards, discounts, store coupons, email, etc.) They want your (blind) loyalty so you don't cheat on them. They spend a lot of effort getting you into their store and once they have you there, they dazzle your senses using sights, sounds, and smells to keep you there to SPEND! Just because you have a coupon doesn't make it the best deal for you. I've tried to be a little more cynical, it helps me to make better informed decisions.
Be open to alternative shopping locations.
~ There is a Pepperidge Farms FACTORY/OUTLET STORE in my area. Daily, they get various leftover products from the factory. Hit or miss but great deals! Today they had goldfish bags, Buy4 get one free for $3. That's $.60 per 6.6oz. bag. That's nuts! If you waited for a sale and a coupon to stack for a specific location... you'd be waiting a long time.
~ ALDI. No frills. It took me a while to step into this place, my own stigma hangups I guess, but I'm glad I did expand my shopping universe here. They have their own brands, nothing is familiar but when you compare ingredients and prices, it really is powerful. Again, if I stayed "loyal" to the old location, I would be locked into an additional "foolish shopper tax" of 20-80%
~ DISCOUNT GROCERY: Price-Rite is near me. I'm not crazy about the produce but they have many of the EXACT same products Goya canned beans, Chonabi greek yogurt, etc. (FST 10-60%)
Adding some new locations (also, flea markets, pharmacies, etc) to my shopping universe has helped me avoid my personal "foolish shopper tax"!
Turn FST (foolish shopper tax) into DailySaving.
Make conscious decisions about Location & Loyalty. What changes have you made in your universe?
Make sure you put yourself in the right location to get the best prices for the products you need. Don't limit yourself to just a few shopping options.
BIG CHAIN STORES spend a lot of money to build a relationship with you. (rewards programs, care cards, discounts, store coupons, email, etc.) They want your (blind) loyalty so you don't cheat on them. They spend a lot of effort getting you into their store and once they have you there, they dazzle your senses using sights, sounds, and smells to keep you there to SPEND! Just because you have a coupon doesn't make it the best deal for you. I've tried to be a little more cynical, it helps me to make better informed decisions.
Be open to alternative shopping locations.
~ There is a Pepperidge Farms FACTORY/OUTLET STORE in my area. Daily, they get various leftover products from the factory. Hit or miss but great deals! Today they had goldfish bags, Buy4 get one free for $3. That's $.60 per 6.6oz. bag. That's nuts! If you waited for a sale and a coupon to stack for a specific location... you'd be waiting a long time.
~ ALDI. No frills. It took me a while to step into this place, my own stigma hangups I guess, but I'm glad I did expand my shopping universe here. They have their own brands, nothing is familiar but when you compare ingredients and prices, it really is powerful. Again, if I stayed "loyal" to the old location, I would be locked into an additional "foolish shopper tax" of 20-80%
~ DISCOUNT GROCERY: Price-Rite is near me. I'm not crazy about the produce but they have many of the EXACT same products Goya canned beans, Chonabi greek yogurt, etc. (FST 10-60%)
Adding some new locations (also, flea markets, pharmacies, etc) to my shopping universe has helped me avoid my personal "foolish shopper tax"!
Turn FST (foolish shopper tax) into DailySaving.
Make conscious decisions about Location & Loyalty. What changes have you made in your universe?
1 comment:
I've never heard of ALDI. I went through your link and apparently there aren't any in Colorado...that must be why.
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