The Pitfalls of Bargain Shopping

I hesitate to “out” this type of clutterer because I am often the beneficiary of her astute bargain hunting. Sometimes it’s good, like when our favorite goodies are on sale and she has her husband drop them off like Santa Claus, other times she brings me things I already have, don’t need, and the bargain clutter begins to annoy. And she’s most definitely a type. Classics (SJs) and Funs (SPs) are the ultimate Bargain Shoppers and Coupon collectors. Funs might even go the extra mile because they don’t seem to care about getting it done, they care about getting it right. And since these types make up over half the American population? I’m not surprised there’s a successful reality show about them.

Peter Walsh’s symptoms of this type read like a proposal for a TV show:

Prides herself on clipping coupons and sourcing online promotion codes; keeps her kitchen, bedroom, and garage stocked with three years’ worth of paper towels, mixed nuts, and orange Tic Tacs; spends $10 on gas speeding to three different megastores to save $10 on diapers for children not yet born; “is driven by the misguided notion that ‘if I own it, I am better off, regardless of what it does to my space, my finances, or my relationships,'” as Walsh puts it.

Walsh blames stay at home moms, retirees and discount club shoppers, but that’s just because they have the time for it. Other personality types might take on this kind of shopping when they’re in financial need and they have the time. It’s the Funs who love a bargain and take the time to find it and it’s the Classics who feel in control when they get the best deal.

Walsh’s solutions are good for people who are going overboard. This is an affliction that’s really only going to happen to Classics and Funs. There’s just no way that Organics (NFs) or Smarts (NTs) could have the patience or energy to deal with the attention to detail it takes to do this to such an extreme degree. If, however, Organics were raised by a Classic or Fun, they might be more inclined to join in the madness even though it stresses them out.

1. Limit purchases you don’t plan to use immediately.
“If you can’t park your car in the garage because it’s full of toilet paper, you may be out of control,”

2. Recognize that you’re being had.
“In order to create a sense of urgency around bargains, retailers study and carefully design everything from lighting to floor texture to distance to the register,”

3. Find a new hobby.
If you find yourself cruising Target or the grocery store on weekends while your husband is watching football, “maybe you should be more creative with your spare time.”

These are all great suggestions to have a better, fuller life. And it’s a general and universal rule or organization. If you don’t have the space for it, don’t buy it!