Buyer Beware: Learn from my Sunday Shop mistake: B-

It started off promising.  Today was all set up for a good day of planning for a solid week of savings.

Then the phone rang.
All of the sudden we're having people over for a holiday weekend cookout.  Great!  But true to my nature I see many things in dollars and cents.  "What does this do to my budget and how can I pull it off without busting that budget?"  I quickly take inventory of what we have to feed our guests.  Hot dogs, burgers, buns,  condiments, veggies, pasta salad, chips, and all s'mores ingredients, a good solid base.  I'm psyched.  I then consult the entertainer (my wife Lori) to see what else we need to complete a rockin' holiday menu.   She tells me that some fresh cilantro for the pasta salad and steak tips should round things out nicely.  Good, I'll add it to my list that I've created from the week's sales fliers.

I'm on my way and the budget should be ok...  I planned pretty well but I wasn't as disciplined as I should have been to maximize the savings on this trip.  It wasn't a big deal but every little bit helps and new habits and truly changed behavior will solidify savings, not just on this day, but future days.

Learn from your mistakes.

1.  Moving quickly, I forgot the extra reusable bags.  Stop & Shop pays for each one you use.  I left money on the table.  That doesn't make me happy.

2.  I was moving too fast and missed the fine print on the coupon that I was using for a sale item.  "MUST BUY 2."  I felt like the product, the store, and the cashier all said, together in unison, "GOTCHA!" as the cashier alerted me to my oversight.  I needed the item, so I took it anyway.  Rookie mistake.  I felt like I got punched in the stomach.  NNNewman! 

I'll do better next time.  Plan to improve:

~ Make sure reusable bags are left in both cars so I will not forget and will always collect that savings.
~ I think I should circle, or highlight, that tricky, often overlooked, language on coupons.  "Must buy 2", or specific size or type.  Coupons are sometimes for a new brand they are trying to move in an existing line.  Read carefully.

I did use two reusable bags, stack a few coupons on sale items, and I did hit the discount veggie rack early enough to get some good stuff.  Final grade:  B-

Making mistakes is ok, as long as we learn from them.