When is a sale actually a good deal?
You're walking past the paper towels and there's a big sale sign. It's a really good price. The pack is halfway into your cart before you remember the two unopened ones in the basement.
We've all been there. A sale sign makes buying feel like saving, and it's easy to forget to ask whether you needed the thing in the first place.
The sign only knows the price
A sale sign can tell you something is cheaper than it was last week. It can't tell you that you already have enough to last until spring. Only you know that.
So the same sale can be great for one family and pointless for the family behind them in line. If you're on your last roll, grab it. If the basement is full, you aren't saving anything. You're just spending sooner than you had to.
"It's on sale" or "we need it, and it's on sale"
Most of us shop the first way without noticing. It's cheaper, so into the cart it goes.
Flip the order and things get clearer. Start with what you were going to buy anyway. If one of those things happens to be on sale, lovely. If it's something you weren't going to buy, that sale isn't really for you.
It's okay to walk past a good price
This is the part nobody tells you. "That's a great price, and we don't need it" is a perfectly good decision.
It can feel like missing out. What you're really doing is keeping your money for something your family will use. You can always look again when you're running low.
When to go for it
Some sales really are worth it. Usually that's when:
- You're running low, or will be soon.
- It's something your family uses all the time.
- It won't go bad before you get to it.
- You have somewhere to put it.
When all four line up, stock up and feel good about it.
A quick gut check
Next time a sale sign catches your eye, ask yourself one thing: would I be buying this today if it weren't on sale?
If yes, enjoy the lower price. If no, keep walking.
This is what StockPock is for
It keeps track of what your family has and how fast you go through it, so you know when to buy, when to wait, and when you're covered. The free calculator shows how it thinks.
Try the calculator