The Number One Pitfall of Bargain Hunting

I've been a bargain hunter for a while now and there are so many benefits to being a savvy shopper.  However, there is one big pitfall that I fall prey to more often than I'd like to admit.  And that is buying things I don't need just because they are a good deal.  There is this huge thrill when you walk into Target to pick up some milk and a pair of socks and you come across something that has just been marked down to 75% off.  Maybe it's a cute toy, maybe it's a kitchen gadget, perhaps a cute purse, or a GPS....it doesn't matter...it's a GOOD DEAL!!!!  It almost seems wrong NOT to buy the thing...because if you ever were going to buy it, you'd never be able to find it at this price again.  But do you NEED it? 

That is the question I have to ask myself a lot.  If you are watching for deals, there are opportunities to pick things up at a huge discount every single day.  And some of those deals are just REALLY good.  But the bottom line is that it's not a good deal unless you need it.  If you are spending money on things that your family won't use or doesn't need, you are wasting  your money...not saving it.  

I even have to watch myself when the deal is for something that our family does need, but we already have enough of.  Case in point...I have 12 bottles of laundry detergent in my basement right now.  Yes, I got it all really cheap, but at this point I really don't need to be buying laundry detergent again until I've used up some of our stockpile.  Unless I can get it for free, I'm on laundry detergent lockdown. 

Maybe I'm the only one who suffers from this problem, but even after a couple of years of focusing on our finances and cutting out excess in our budget, I still struggle with passing up a good deal.  The only thing that works for me is that mantra, "Do I really NEED this?"  Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is no but it's something that I would really enjoy so I get it anyway.  But more often than not the answer is no and so it should stay there on the shelf to be a good deal to the next person.  But it is just.so.hard to put something down when it has that pretty red 75% off sticker on it.  :)