Are “Deals” Always Worth It?

Have you ever taken something home because the deal was too good to pass up? Maybe you didn’t even need the product, but the price was so low (or FREE!) and you just couldn’t resist.  I’m not pointing fingers here – I’ve done it! Sometimes discounted or free items aren’t worth what you save (or don’t even pay) for them. Take the facial products pictured here, which junked up our bathroom drawer for months. They came with a discount “beauty bag” from a grocery store in March – a bag of samples for about $30, a simple pleasure. But this year’s selection wasn’t as attractive to me; even though I told myself I “should” try them all, these products just didn’t hit the sweet spot. I finally took them out of the drawer about 2 months ago; they cluttered my desk until I finally took a picture of them for the blog before donating them to a social service agency with other toiletries.

Many of us are jazzed by deals. (Ask my husband – I am definitely jazzed by deals!) But if you get something that really isn’t a good fit and it just takes up space, is it worth it? A client recently showed me a whole set of dishes that she took home when her sister was moving; she didn’t need them, but it was a nice set, and it was free! She regretted the decision weeks later but still hadn’t removed them. She finally let them go to a nonprofit that provides housing for victims of domestic violence, and she felt SO good about it. She promised herself she wouldn’t take stuff home again just because it’s a good deal; it’s not worth the negative impact on her space and her peace of mind.