Are you a bargain junkie?

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radjago

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http://articles.moneycentral.msn.co...henBargainHuntingIsAnAddiction.aspx?GT1=33001

The article lists some signs that you might be.

[quote name='MSNBC']Here are six telltale signs of bargain junkies:

They hit sales and clearance racks when they feel angry or down.

They spend more than they can afford.

They see sales as opportunities they can't pass up.

They feel guilty about their shopping and hide their purchases.

They spend so much time tracking down deals that their time with family and friends is compromised.

They routinely forget what they bought and find things in their closets unused.[/quote]

They also list some steps for breaking the cycle of addiction and some questions to ask yourself before you make a purchase.
 
All of them except for #3 used to describe me for the past few years. I remember going out multiple times a day to different stores to pick up clearance games and going out early as hell to be there first for deals.

But these days, I rarely bother because there's too many people doing it...
 
I used to be bad about buying things like that, specifically games. Now, I tend to pick up those that I really want and I make sure they are cheap before I do so.
 
1. Yep, definitely.
2. Nope.
3. Yes.
4. Nope, I brag about my purchases.
5. Nope.
6. I have some games that I haven't played yet, but I plan on playing or selling them.
 
They hit sales and clearance racks when they feel angry or down.

1) No.

They spend more than they can afford.

2) No.

They see sales as opportunities they can't pass up.

3) Depends on the sale, if it's something I want for really cheap I'll get it, or if I know I can make a profit.

They feel guilty about their shopping and hide their purchases.

4) Nope.

They spend so much time tracking down deals that their time with family and friends is compromised.

5) Well, I don't have a license yet, so not available.

They routinely forget what they bought and find things in their closets unused.

6) Nope.
 
i can relate to mostly all of these. last time i check this is cheap ass gamer . so we all are guilty of one of these
 
They hit sales and clearance racks when they feel angry or down.
That's NOT me in the least.

They spend more than they can afford.
That's why stores have return policies, so if you don't want something or don't feel like letting it sit around collecting dust, you can RETURN it.

They see sales as opportunities they can't pass up.
Some are just TOO good to pass up, though I did miss out on the Circuit City $5 game clearance(which I've heard was epic), I have bought NUMEROUS things for so cheap(mainly due to CAG). So, maybe I qualify for this one a bit.
They feel guilty about their shopping and hide their purchases.
As others said already, I BRAG about my purchases to others. Hell, I took my fat stack of guide receipts I was keeping for some reason to my one buddies house to show his sister's bf who called all the deals I was mentioning I got in on to him as 'a scam' just to show him up a bit.

He instantly shut up about calling it a scam from then on out.


They spend so much time tracking down deals that their time with family and friends is compromised.
That might have been true at one point, but unless they build a couple more Kmarts and Best Buys around me really close, I'm not going to waste gas @ $3.30 a gallon going all over for deals anymore.

They routinely forget what they bought and find things in their closets unused.
Some might forget, but I never do, since I'd rather have that $$$$ if I'm not using those items I bought and I'll return them, even if they were cheap.
 
They hit sales and clearance racks when they feel angry or down.

No, besides, in my area it's more likely than not you won't find anything at all, so if you're going to clearance racks to make yourself feel better odds are you'll be more angry, down, etc. when you turn up with nothing.

They spend more than they can afford.

No, I keep my spending habits well within my financial abilities. My other bills/responsibilities always come first. The money left over I'll spend if I want/need, but never to the point where I spend more than I can cover.

They see sales as opportunities they can't pass up.

It depends on the sale. If a Circuit City clearance, then yes, it's real hard to pass it up (although my purchases during said sales have fallen off dramatically). If you're just saving $5 on a game at Best Buy I'll more likely pass it up unless I know for sure I'm going to play the game immediately. Otherwise I'll wait for a better price down the road.

They feel guilty about their shopping and hide their purchases.

Not at all. In the rare event where I purchase something I sort of regret I'll trade, sell, or donate it. I won't hide it.

They spend so much time tracking down deals that their time with family and friends is compromised.

Again, no. I don't make routine trips to Target, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, etc. to check for clearance games or anything like that. I'll go if I'm running errands nearby or shopping for something else, but I don't make it a weekly appointment to stop at all the stores.

They routinely forget what they bought and find things in their closets unused.

Alright, I'm sometimes guilty on this one (but who isn't, gamers, cheap asses, or otherwise?). Just the other day I found Front Mission 4 on a shelf in my closet. I had completely forgotten I got it and then wondered how it wound up in there as opposed to the rest of my PS2 collection.
 
All of them describe me. It's funny; as a kid, I only got games for my birthday or Christmas. Now, it seems like I'm buying something new every week!

Unfortunately, the only reason I have so many unplayed duplicates sitting here is because it's like pulling teeth to get a good trade going on CAG these days. Everybody wants "TEH RAREZ" or the hottest, brand-new games that no one else has or wants to get rid of for someone else's year-old stuff, so I'm sure most of us have a bunch of unplayed, unused games just sitting around.

And I feel down after hitting the clearance ranks because the hoarders have wiped them all out.
 
[quote name='anomynous']all except 4 & 5 describe me[/quote]
Same here.

Thanks for the link, OP. I've written down those questions regarding purchases from the article and will wedge them in front of my card so I can try and produce better spending habits. :)
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MSNBC
Here are six telltale signs of bargain junkies:

They hit sales and clearance racks when they feel angry or down.

They spend more than they can afford.

They see sales as opportunities they can't pass up.

They feel guilty about their shopping and hide their purchases.

They spend so much time tracking down deals that their time with family and friends is compromised.

They routinely forget what they bought and find things in their closets unused.

1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No
5. No
6. Sometimes

WTF, I thought I was a cheap ass.
 
The only one that describes me is #3, no I do not spend more than I can afford and I don't shop because I am angry or down. If your buying stuff as cheaply as I do I don't see how you CAN spend more than you can afford unless you buy hundreds of multiples of each item. It would take a seriously large amount of shopping to get yourself in debt if you only purchase things at rock bottom prices. I always try to buy only the things I will use.

If I do have unused items that I have forgotten about, then what I find is I can usually sell them for more than what I paid, but this happens rarely and even if I were to sell them at a loss I would only be losing an extremely minimal amount of money, maybe a dollar or 2. Return policies do help, just save your receipt and if you don't find your using your clearance item or its a clothing item that does not fit you or you don't want, you can just take it back and get your money.
 
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