Coupons is one way that is very tempting to buy more than what you need in order to save some money.They have to be exercised with caution. So easy to buy 2 or 3 extra things you don't need just to get the coupon savings. And now with Ibotta, it's even more fun to do that. I try to only use the coupons and rebate deals for things that I would reasonably buy. And if it is not something that I would normally buy, then I try not to do it very often, even if it would be a reasonable purchase. Kind of try to spread out the special deals. Yes, try a few new things, but not too often.
I like the max on the savings and I do agree that we have to be careful not to overbuy on items that may just go bad. But, I have purchased products that I don't normally buy because it was a really good deal. For instance, I had purchased several pain medicines that were in gel form or a rub on. I don't normally use that type of item, but it came in handy when I was having some issues. I also purchased several cold packs. The regular price was $11.99 but it was on sale for $5.99 and I got back $5 in store credit. That was too good of a deal to pass up. Those type of products are good to have on hand.
That is something that happens a lot with me, I see coupons for something and all I can think about is how much I'm saving, not even whether I will be able to use the item or not, and I usually end up with loads of unused stuff at my house. I really need to start to exercise some restraint and only use them for the things that I am going to use.