'Tis the seaon of sales!!!

The problem for me is, that doesn't always mean savings.

I realized this a few days ago, while I was ordering some diabetic candy for my mother. A pound was $15, but shipping was $10!!! BUT FOR ONLY $5 more I could change to a 2 pound box with the same shipping charge. I started to do it. It was a "better buy". It was also an extra $5 I COULD SAVE. Mom doesn't need the extra candy, but I do need to save the extra $5. There are other gifts to buy for her that I need that $5 for!

Black Friday has it's own challenges. Everything on sale, everything hectic, caught up in SPENDING and catching those great deals. I have to remind myself that the great deal is SPENDING LESS, not necessarily BUYING MORE for the same money. Yes, I've budgeted a certain amount for a purchase, and it is SO tempting to SPEND that amount -- if I can find something cheaper, I want to roll the savings into MORE GIFTS. I'm tempted to buy things that are on sale that are not actually what I wanted to give. And in the crush of a "hot deal" day, it's so difficult to step back and think about what I am spending and why.

The reality of savings, and taking advantage of sales, is that I MUST stop and think. The GOAL is NOT to spend the budget, but to get the gifts I WANT to give for as far under that budget as I can. There is a balance in the question "do I need the extra gift, or do I need the extra money in the bank".

My mother taught me as a child "everything is ALWAYS 'on sale'. That is up to the store. Whether or not it IS a sale is up to you".