I just came home to Boston after a month long stay at my mom’s house in California. Maybe it’s just me, but being on vacation always gets me a bit out of touch with reality. We are not in a position to shop without checking prices (besides the Queen who is?). The past month saw my coupon usage diminish. OK, I used zero. No, really, I didn’t use one coupon and I have guilt over it.
For the past 3 years, every week was spent getting lists/coupons/deals together for shopping. But, as I’ve written before about getting coupon burnout, everyone, sometime, somewhere will burn out..if only for a bit.
I came home to a mail full of coupons (see pic above). Going through all these high-value, rare coupons gave me a knot in my stomach. I’m letting all this money expire. It’s free money going to waste. I’m not a saver by nature.
I’ll tell anyone, I save by choice. A lot of die-hard couponers say they would still use coupons even if they won the lottery. You know what? Not me! I love coupons, I thank them for helping me get out of debt, but I’d be happy to ditch them when and if our finances allowed for it.
Staying on a budget, living under our means, sacrificing shopping..is HARD WORK!
I don’t ever want to go into debt again. That is a time better left in our past. But there are days, weeks, sometimes a whole month ahem..I let it go to the wayside.
I’ve been a bad coupon girl this past month..but I don’t have any guilt over it. Everything in moderation. Did I buy retail? No, of course not. Did I treat myself to some new shoes (maybe 3)? Yes, I did. My life was fancy, it’s all I knew my whole growing up, and sometimes rears it’s head, especially on trips to LA!
So, I’m a work in progress, probably will be the rest of my life. But, I’m also not going to beat myself up over it..unless it’s an ice cream coupon that expires…
Now your turn! Do you ever feel like you’re slacking in the saving department?
The one where I talk about being a bad #coupon girl: buff.ly/LXOosm via @thefrugalette
— Isra(@thefrugalette) July 30, 2012
Hi! I'm Isra, aka The Frugalette. I took my family from fancy to frugal in 3 years, with 3 kids and 1 income, oh and found the meaning of life too! To read more about my fancy life gone frugal, 
I completely understand this. I have a stack of unclipped inserts that keeps growing every week. I hope to get back on track soon too.
I totally understand getting burned out sometimes!
Oh yeah! I have been a bad coupon girl lately, too!! I let two high value, free product coupons expire recently and I felt physically ill! Couponing is a LOT of work, though!!!
I left some +UPs expire and my thoughts exactly..physically ill!
On I let coupons expire all the time…I am just not great at remembering to use them
I was a hardcore copuponer a few years ago, but now I use them every now and then. Back then a stack of expired free coupons would have bothered me, now not so much.
I go through spirts all the time where I get behind! I do still get bothered by letting them go without being used!!