[Cara Reynolds – SUM180 Community Manager]

Hi Josh. This is a big question at this time of year, for sure. You put your finger on what makes this a headache for me, personally – I’m not necessarily the best at crunching the numbers across different discount scenarios to spot the best deal/timing.

So, my approach is to bypass the math component and ask myself: “Is this sale item something that I need to buy ANYWAY?”
– If I legitimately need the item AND it’s on sale, that’s a green light
– If I need the item but it’s not on sale (yet), I MAY delay till I find a better price
– If it’s on sale and I only casually wish I had that item (“would be nice…”), that’s a no go

It’s not always easy to abide by this rule but it helps keep me out of the “but it’s on sale” trap. I think, over time, I end up saving money by buying fewer things that I don’t really need.

[Lisa Talley]

Personally, I think of sales as more of an entertainment. It’s the thrill of the hunt for a good bargain, not really about finding necessities at the best possible price. So I admit that to myself up front and set a fixed budget for sale shopping (retail therapy) and that helps to keep me out of serious trouble.

[Antoinette Minor – Ambassador]

The sales definitely have a catch and are really there so you can spend more than you intended. I will only shop a sale if I can double up on the coupons or incentives. For example, sweaters were 1/2 off and I had “store cash.” So, I got the discount plus the $15 in store cash and got the sweater for $19 opposed to the original price of $70 bucks. Its a game but better than getting tricked by the coupon system lol