OCD & Shopping with Coupons

The other day I saw a friend I hadn't seen in about 16 years. As we chatted, she asked me, "Are you still cutting coupons?" I hadn't realized how many years I have been using coupons and that it was so obvious to others.

Because I have OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, I do things obsessively -out of proportion. I used to think the more coupons I had the better.

I would look at the sale fliers each week and put on my shopping list everything I had a coupon for that was on sale.

Unfortunately, I would buy an item just because I had a coupon for it and not because I needed it.

What could I possibly do with 3 tubes of Neosporin at the same time?

I wasn't thinking realistically; I was thinking obsessively.

I must admit I've cut down on my obsession with coupons a lot. Most of the coupons I use come in the Sunday newspaper as inserts. There was a time when if I saw a Sunday newspaper wherever I was, I'd see if the coupon inserts were still there and I would take them. No limits; I would take as many as I could find.

Now I just want the coupon inserts that come in my own Sunday newspaper.

Why the change?

1. Usage

The people in my household could never use the products as quickly as I was buying them and bringing them home. As a result of this, I needed places to store them --

2. Storage space

One of the problems then was that I would buy something just because I had a coupon for it - whether I needed it, or not. If I had three coupons for the same item, I would buy 3 of that item. It got to the point that I ran out of room of where to store the products in my home. I actually had to pile boxes of health and beauty products in the den. Sounds ridiculous? It is.

To those familiar with OCD and its symptoms, this can be considered hoarding.

I was more controlled with coupons for food because storage is limited to the kitchen and food closets. Thank goodness!

3. Waste

I've had bottles of shampoos and body washes leak. I've had tubes of creams and toothpastes dry up.

4. Finances

Looking at the boxes, bags and closets I had stacked and stocked with everything I bought with coupons, finally led me to take a good look at what I was doing to myself financially.

Everything I bought I wasn't paying for using cash -- I was using a credit card - or several credit cards. Keeping this in mind, I finally started doing some sensible thinking. I asked myself this --

"Am I really saving with the coupons I use vs. the interest I am paying on the credit card(s) each month because I can't pay off the full balance?"

For example, let's say I have 3 - 25 cents off coupons for Dawn dish soap - one coupon per bottle. The dish soap is on sale for .99 a bottle, so all 3 bottles cost me $.2.22 using the coupons (.75 total savings) and before tax is added on. If I just bought these 3 bottles of Dawn dish soap during the month it would be fine, but I spend at least $200.00 each month using coupons and putting it on a credit card(s).

What's an average percentage for credit card interest these days? Let's say 15%. On the $200.00 credit card balance, I'm paying $30.00 in interest. And that's only on the first month's balance. Then each month as I shop with coupons, I keep adding on and on to the balance, hence more interest charged to the current balance, by each credit card company.

I finally came to my senses and stopped looking for extra coupons. One of each is enough for me to use. It's enough when it comes to storage, usage and waste and it hurts me less financially.

How else have I changed when it comes to using coupons as I shop?

1. I only buy what I need and I try very hard to only buy what's on sale.

2. If I already have enough of the same type of item, such as shampoo, even though I have a coupon for it and it's on sale, I still DON'T buy it.

How else have I helped myself?

I bought 2 - 4 tier shelves. I put on the shelves all of the health and beauty products I had in boxes, bags and elsewhere. I put all the shampoos together, all the conditioners together, all the body washes together -- . I can now see what I already have and how many I have of each. I limit myself to knowing I can't buy more than the shelves can hold.

Ta da! In more ways than one I have learned how to control my obsession with shopping with coupons and shopping overall.

Using my guidelines above, if you have a similar problem, you can do the same.

Good luck!