Deal Shopping Is A Mindset 1

Deal shopping for me is a mindset, a way of living. I really don’t know how to live any other way. It is so ingrained in me now, I don’t know how to get through my days when I CAN’T participate in deal shopping for one reason or another.

Recently the little striped mutt threw my mouse off the desk one time too many. OMG, AGGRAVATION TO NO END!!!!!!!! The mouse wouldn’t click, or it would click multiple times. Pages wouldn’t open, browsers would close all tabs, ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew I wouldn’t make it one more day if I didn’t have a fully functioning mouse NOW. I went to bed mad at the mouse and mad at the mutt. 🙁 Got up the next morning and what to my surprise but free after rebate mice at Tiger Direct?? Yes please, sign me up!!

I am no stranger to rebates. Not at all. 🙂 When I tell people how much money I’ve processed in rebates in the last couple of years, jaws DROP. No, don’t ask. You really don’t want to know – I promise. It’s not that I’m not willing to talk about the dollars involved, it’s just that I know you don’t really want to KNOW. Trust me, you don’t.

Part of the appeal of deal shopping and rebates is the community involved. Not that I actively participate in the community, but it’s still fun to read along and think “Yeah, me too!” when everyone is talking about past deals they participated in. I just find it fun to be in that crowd and know that I got in on that deal too, as crazy as it may have been. If I can’t participate in the deals, I feel a little left out. 🙁 This is something I need to work on.

FAR mice are a great example! Could I just order the one mouse I needed? Of course not! Since I was putting an order through, I got three mice and two power strips. You just can’t have too many mice, right? The next day, another mouse deal popped up. I struggled and struggled with it, but ended up passing on three more mice. Did I really NEED three more mice?  No.  A few days later, yet another mouse deal popped up! This time there were other items I wanted, so I was in for three more mice, a duffle bag, and a decoy security camera. A few days later… more mice. A few days after that… MORE MICE! I passed on these, and now I feel a little left out. I sure didn’t need all those mice, but it’s a lot more fun to say I bought 15 mice than it is to say I bought 6 mice. 9 mice left on the table – *sigh* I’ll live. I didn’t need the mice!!!

This deal shopping mindset is just difficult for me to deal with right now. I use deal shopping as an “escape”, a way to deal with the things in my mind that bother me. With my husband’s career change and the subsequent loss in income, I just don’t have the freedom I used to have when it comes to deals and rebates. 🙁 That doesn’t mean I have figured out how to stop reading about the deals though! That I just can’t help – I find it oddly calming to at least know what’s going on. I find I’ll subscribe to a thread with the intent to look at the deals later, then I just never get around to buying anything. THIS I can live with!! Then I don’t feel as left out, but I also don’t have to buy anything.

Ah, but then I mention things to my hubby. Oh, a case fan? He wanted a case fan for his computer build. Could I just order a case fan? Nope. 3 case fans, 2 card readers, and 1 package of paper clips later…  Then today: a keyboard to go with the mice?? YAY! Could I just order the keyboard? Nope. Keyboard, 2 surge protectors, a pair of scissors, and some cd/dvd sleeves later…

ARGH! I’m still mad about those 9 mice! 🙁

I’ll get over it. I just need to train my mind to be interested in some other things in life. Trust me, I’ve been TRYING but it sure isn’t easy. I had some time today to think about what I’d like to concentrate on instead. Unfortunately, my mind still feels locked up. I would have rather been shopping at Staples with the 40% back in rewards coupon today, but there isn’t anything I want or need!!! Not hard to sit that one out, but I feel left out now! I just have to keep telling myself it’s just money I don’t need to spend. Besides, the Amex/Sams Club.com deal should hold me over quite nicely!! 😀

So what exactly is it that I would like to train my brain to be interested in? 1. Something that I would like to learn that 2. eventually would make us some money. It’s ok if I learn some stuff for fun, because any knowledge I gain could also be applied toward money making endeavors. Here are a few things I’d like to concentrate on instead of deal shopping:

• Learn my Canon Rebel T3i
• Find a cost effective macro setup for the T3i
• Play with the macro lens on my cell phone in the meantime
• Continue with the web developer course I started a LONG time ago
• Work on SEO and general website skills
• Do a blog makeover on at least two sites that need an overhaul
• Completely start from scratch on one site that could serve as a good DEAL blog. Hmmm….

Tonight I ran 8 websites through some testing to make sure they are mobile friendly. Oddly enough, they all passed. Yes, even the one that failed yesterday. WTF, Google? So it appears the changes that need to be made are only cosmetic and content related. Sure have LOTS of those.

Earlier today I got out with my cell phone and my macro attachment. I had one shot I wanted to attempt with the tulips (not macro) and I stumbled across some interesting stuff in the moss with the macro lens at 4x. 🙂  These two pictures are great!!