Jill Smokler, AKA Scary Mommy
@scarymommy
Latest posts by Jill Smokler, AKA Scary Mommy (see all)
- The Disney Reveal - May 14, 2013
- Met My Match At Disney… - May 13, 2013
- Sunday’s Baltimore Sun - May 11, 2013
Two weeks ago, I got a pedicure for half price and an oil change at 75% off. The week before, I ate appetizers for free and purchased an overpriced kitchen rug for the price it should have been marked at originally. I’ve gotten discount haircuts and colors and dinners and even overnight trips, all courtesy of the genius that is Groupon. Every day there seems to be a different discount site of some kind or another and I’m completely obsessed. The only problem? So is the rest of the world.
Now, you might not see this as a problem, but I do.
See, I used to pride myself on my bargain hunting skills. I’ve scoured the racks for years at Marshalls and TJ Maxx and Homegoods while the rest of my friends shopped at malls and boutiques. I’ve dug and inspected and yanked and rejected and searched for the perfect find for countless hours. I’ve put together gift baskets that could win awards if gift baskets were, in fact, issued awards. I’ve found formal gowns and discontinued perfumes and birthday gifts that put all other birthday gifts to shame. The hunt is part of the fun and I have perfected it. Bargain hunting is a part of who I am. It’s in my soul.
But, suddenly, it’s a part of everyone. Nobody pays retail anymore. The six people at the car place all paid $22 for their oil change. The couple on the date last week also ate their spinach dip for free, and everyone’s toes at the salon were painted for the same twenty bucks. There was no subtle gloating on my part and no secret satisfaction that I got the very best deal. Sure, I got a deal but it just didn’t feel the same when everyone got the same deal as me.
I get daily invitations for sites that promise to offer the very best bargains on the web. The codes and the free shipping and the big savings are only a click away! But, where’s the work? The blood, the sweat and the tears? It’s all just a little too easy for me.
So, how about we all go back to paying full price again? Back to a simpler, full price kind of time?
And, by all of us, I mean everyone but me. Someone has to get the deals.
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
I had to unsubscribe myself from groupon, living social, and most of the others because I LOVE a good deal and no coupon goes unused by me. But I found I was spending a ton on stuff I wouldn’t have normally bought because it was such a great deal. That’s the lure of the groupon!
Yes, totally. I’m such a sucker like that.
I know what you mean! I used to pride myself on being the go-to-girl for bargains and would frequently get this: “Where did you get that? It’s so cute! OMG it was how much?”
Now? I’m not an expert on anything, darn it.
(A pedicure for $20?? Free spinach dip?? Yay for those!)
I hate groupon because every day it reminds me of the shit I COULD be doing, but am not.
This is soooo true. Coupons make me feel bad about myself:(
HE HE HE!!! So true, it is painful when I see someone paying full price these days. We can go back to the old way as long as I can shop with you!
Stopping by from the Mod’N'Natural blog
I, too, have always been a bargain hunting junkie- along with my mom and aunt. We had the SAME feelings as you! You are not alone! My husband and I now go garage sale-ing and thrift store hunt at Mom & Pop thrift stores to fill that “Ha!” itch.
This makes me giggle. I love that with the thrill of the chase gone, you are deflated and bummed! Ha!
: ) Absolutely. I used my first groupon last week. I had these 3 canvases that were going to expire so I used them. 10 minutes before the deal ran out. I know, I know. Impressive : )
I need to sign up for some more things.
Oh, I must introduce you to Scratch & Dent!
Ohhhhh, what is Scratch & Dent??!
a scratch and dent is just that. a scratch and dent store. say a semi full of foods for the grocer has an accident and a bunch of cans get dented or cereal boxes get squished. the food is still good but the packaging is a little jacked up. we call them crash-n-dents where i’m from but same thing. specialty stores sell craash n dent foods for CHEAP
do they still have scratch & dent stores? I search and searched for one when I bought my washer and dryer and couldn’t find any in UT.
ut_mommy
oh good gawd…never. not. me! I am not that person ~I’ll be standing in the simple corner, thank you very much. I am way tooooo OCD & ADD! I could never ever in a million years pull off bargain hunting, grouponing, couponing and digging through piles of unorganized ‘stuff’. So, you go girl and same goes for all the other bargain hunters out there…
I agree with Rebecca. Garage sales and thrift stores are the only place now that can fill my ability to gloat because I found something awesome and got it for SOOO cheap! :)
Ahh! I love garage sales! I once bought a beautiful coffee table for $30 at a garage sale, used it for a couple of years then sold it for $60 on craigslist! I was so impressed with me!
I feel exactly the same way!! Not just about Groupon and other sites, but even coupon clipping. We’re at a point where everyone does it anyway, so why not just make that the regular price?
I have to admit I still love Ross, TJ Maxx, and HomeGoods!
I’ve often thought that the new “sale price” equals the old regular price- like how grocery stores these days practically require a card to get the supposed sale price. I see the same thing happening with all of these special codes and discounts that suddenly everyone seems to be getting these days.
Give it a couple of months and everyone else will get tired of it and then you will be the queen of the bargain shopping pile again.
You sure get better Groupon offers than I do. I have a $20 credit for being a new customer that expires next week, and between now and then I’m praying they come with a deal on something I’d actually use. Like a pedicure.
I am a Ross/TJ Maxx/Marshalls kind of gal. I think it takes a special skill & patience to go in there and come out with true bargains. I have friends who say they can never find anything at Ross, but I think you have to be kind of Zen about it. So you be proud of your gift baskets and evening gowns, my friend!
I am digging Groupon and Living Social, etc. But so far I’ve managed to control my impulses on “great deals.”
I would probably feel the same way if Groupon wasn’t completely validated by the people I find who know absolutely nothing about it. They look at me like I’ve discovered Shangri-la. You mean $10 for $20 at Old Navy? Where is this place you speak of? Oh, THE INTERNET? Yeah, that thing. And while we’re at it, the Titanic did, in fact, sink.
If you can find a salvation army or goodwill outlet, the deals are even better. The way it works is that the regular SA or GW’s get stuff with tags on them and they try to sell the stuff at a higher price than used stuff. If it doesn’t sell after a time, they ship the stuff to the outlets and sell them for $1.75 per item. WITH Tags still on them. I got all kinds of new things by the bag full for the kids and my MIL get’s coach bags, furs and other stuff by weight.
Oh I don’t have the patience or the attention span for bargain hunting. I am always envious of those who have the bargain hunting gene!
I too have always been a bargain hunter, sluffing and digging away to the back of the racks.
It is “the thing” to do now. Oh well, I guess it helps my blog out that there are more people looking for a deal now. ;)
I tried couponing for a whie, but I ended up buying food we never ate, so I quit. I’m glad you enjoy the hunt.
You have to dig deeper. Look beyond the simple little Groupon deals. Think yard sales, second hand stores, and road side finds. No one can take those from you.
I was about to say the same thing as abi. We do a lot of thrifting. There is a lot of good used stuff to be found out there.
Yeah, I bought 2 of those coupons and decided it wasn’t for me. Then I just felt pressure to hurry up and use them before they expired, thus being a waste of money.
Thrift shops and garage sales ONLY for me too. I’m way too unorganized for coupons, groupon and the like. Problem is, even there, I find myself buying things I don’t REALLY need. Maybe the solution is writing down what we need and then buying? Again, the organization problem rears its ugly head….
I have been a bargain hunter my whole life. I did my daughters 12 th birthday with the 99 cent store and Groupon etc see
I love groupon, but I feel that now there are almost too many “daily deals” sites. It’s almost overwhelming. My mom loves to shop for a great deal too and could spend hours in Marshalls or TJ Maxx. I, on the other hand, find those stores to be so overwhelming! I don’t have the patience to sort through all of that stuff.
We don’t have Groupon in Belgium. I feel deprived…
OK so this is what you do, go to the bargain section of large dept stores, then find an article of clothing with the slightest flaw, and then dicker with the price. Weit, first go pick up my Mother in Law, she is the queen of getting stores to take $ off the price, without a coupon, and the item often isn’t on sale. She is a Genie that way. (my girls are spending three nights there this week, they WILL bring bargains home)
I know the deals are great for the consumer, but for the small businesses that are signing up for Groupon and other internet couponing sites, it’s not so hot. They are signing up because they have to offer the same as the competition, but they end up giving away their goods and services for nothing. The only one making any money is Groupon. The small businesses are in trouble and only hoping that someone might spend an extra dime during the visit for something not covered by the coupon.
I too, am a reformed bargain hunter. I am still a cheapskate and shop the clearance racks for next year, dollar stores, yard sales, Goodwill stores, TJMarshallsBigLots…etc. I like coupons and bargains and have my secret methods too BUT…..
It’s not only the thrill of the chase that’s gone, it’s fucking with the way our economy works. As with everything, Americans, we’re greedy and lazy. We don’t want to WORK for anything (not even a deal, apparently) and THEN we bitch about not having jobs, the cost of goods/services and outsourcing. I work for a mail order catalog company that has 4 retail websites. We CONSTANTLY get calls, survey results etc. with customers griping about products being made in China however, the exact same product were it made in America would cost 5 times as much (at least). Customers will try to combine coupons, discounts and post sale codes on websites and then become indignant that they aren’t getting it for a discount, shipped for free and there tomorrow.
Several of my FB friends have become “Extreme Couponers” and spend all week clipping & downloading (and even buying coupons on eBay?) and driving to different stores to get the best deals. They post pics of their loot and the receipt total. Ugh! Shut up already, this is an OCD sickness….at least they are working for their deals and putting a little thought and math into it. Again though, you know why those grocery and drug items ate so expensive? Food is engineered or imported. Stores have to mark up to allow for markdown. We pay people NOT to grow shit and Drug Companies rule, and why shouldn’t they, we’ll all need pills to cure our ills soon.
Can’t have it all and a bag of chips folks. There are consequences for our vapid consumerism and you get what you pay for. Enjoy the people in your life and not the THINGS. Cliches done. And yes, I’ll still go to Goodwill & shop a sale now and again but I’ve come to appreciate the convenience and importance of buying at full price from time to time.
This makes me laugh because I LOVE to be the one to find a good deal. Someone once taught me: Never pay full retail when you can get a deal. But now that deal is all the rage!! I liked it when it was my own personal success a whole lot better!
Seriously though, it IS exhausting to always worry that you’re paying more than you should . . . or that someone else is getting a better deal. Groupon has made me crazy. How did the hair color at the cheapie place?
I don’t sign up for those sites because I find myself going places and spending money that I normally wouldn’t have if not for those deals. So, it really isn’t saving me money, it is costing me money!
I’m with you! I think everyone else needs to go back to their spendy ways and leave the deal finding to those of us with the superhuman pwoer of deal finding. My friends used to joke that Deal Finding was my Superpower and now they can do it too … so I may not be so super afterall! ;-)
I am willing to pay a little bit more not to have to schlep everywhere to buy the perfect item. Our ancestors spent 40 years marching through the desert and I will not shame their sacrifice by doing the same.
Nor will I ask for directions but that is different. ;)
That’s hilarious! Thanks for the chuckle!
Ha ha!! I just blogged about unsubscribing from the coupon sites because I’m spending money I haven’t budgetted in order to save money I don’t have!
budgeted even
I would love that too! Because that would mean the economy is a little better and that would help our family business. It’s great to all work together and have plenty of help. Problem is……..our family business happens to be real estate and well, there is NO business right now! It is what we all do and it is getting really scary. Especially since we have so many kids between us. (I have 3, my sister has 5, and my brother has 3!) I just pray it turns around soon.
Don’t worry, we real bargain shoppers will always find some deals that are even better than what everyone else is getting. On Groupon, the best deal is if you pay $0 for your coupons because you have referral credits! They are so easy to rack up if you even occasionally Tweet or Facebook or blog a deal that you think your community would truly want to hear about.
I finally had to remove myself from Groupon – not because they didn’t have fabulous deals, but none of them were local. They were all based about 30 miles away, and the gas money to go do or buy whatever it was negated the savings. *sigh*
We need someone to do it here in our town. But I’m lazy and I’d rather have someone else find the bargains for me.
:)
Amy
LivingSocial/Groupon, etc can be addictive. Just say no. Well, maybe just one more look…
I used to say the only thing I didn’t buy on sale was my underwear. Sadly, that is not longer true.
My husband is a little Groupon obsessed. He buys all of these random restaurant coupons–then they expire! So, I’d say we’ve lost money using Groupon. Ba!
bargain hunting and having the ability to find things that you ACTUALLY need and want – that truly is a talent….
Groupon and other coupon kinda deals are generic and require ZERO creativity –
You are still super special Scary!!! Never doubt that!!!
Hey, you gotta spend to save, right?!
I agree. it’s not as fun when everyone gets the same deal.
I would totally hire you to shop for me! I’m very particular, but I hate the hunt.
Restaurant.com. It’s the best for those of us who eat out a decent amount, which I do, and no one ever uses it. The fine print is what gets people. I can deal with a little fine print if I am getting a $25 gift certificate for as little as $2.
I’m rather ashamed I’ve not Grouponed. But I have made it a verb.
When I live in DC, I lived at Loehmans b/c I loved getting designer clothes cheaply. Now I have quite a few buys from Living Social that looked amazing but I have not used. I mentioned you on my website as one of my favorite blogs. http://boysrising.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-first-blog-award.html
I check your site daily and if I still lived in DC, I would come looking for you :-). Don’t worry, I am saner than any mother with 3 kids have a right to be.
I love Groupon..although I find myself buying things I normally wouldn’t so it costs me money. LOL
I hate to admit this, but I have never used a groupon coupon!!
I still shop in Marshalls and TJ Maxx…and still thrilled with the deal. Ignorance is bliss I guess! ;)
sigh .. i remember when i could shop goodwill and other thrift stores without throwing elbows and cart blocking aisles so i could shop in relative peace. i don’t even tell my friends anymore where i get my fabulous deals. dang economy! when did thrifyness become en vogue!
i know it has been said, but this is so true. it is like saving is the “in’ thing…but i still like coupons!!
We get our oil changed for less than $20 but we do it ourselves. That’s oil and filter and recycling of the old oil. We hunt bargains like hungry, rabid wolves.
You are too funny! I think that may be you should give the rest of the world a little break we all need to get discounts everynow and then. I know you will discover a new place to create fab savings deals that will cheer you right back up. I know there is an unfound place out there waiting for someone to unearth its awesome discount power.
I’m so bad at taking advantage of deals. I think I might just be the only person left on earth who pays full price for everything, hence the dent in my bank account!
thanks to Groupon my son now has an addiction to Shave It a shaved flavored ice store. God, I hope he is not reading over my shoulder. We have been five times already this summer and last summer we went once as an end of school treat.
Where I live Groupon is a no go, I could sign up to use the deals in the closest “big” city but the hour and a half drive + gas negates the deal most times….
Have you seen sites like -
http://www.thefrugals.com/
http://www.freeshipping.org/
http://www.retailmenot.com/
I always check these sites before completing a purchase online. Often I find a code for free ship or a coupon!