I admit that I get a little excited when I spot a bargain. Sometimes these bargains are real bargains and something they just seem that way. Many a person has become bankrupt by pursuing great bargains. In fact, if you ever watch a show such as Clean House, Clean Sweep or Hoarders, you know how quickly bargain hunting can wind up costing you money in the long run.
Yesterday, I watched a Clean House show that featured the “Messiest Home in America.” The lady had enough stuff after the clean out to fill a 7,000 square foot department store for a super yard sale. Just think, even if she sold all of that stuff for half of what she paid for it (usually, yard sale prices are much less, around 10-25 percent, she likely lost around $20,000 to $40,000 through her bargains.
Think about what all of that money could have done. It could have helped pay off her home, or it could have been invested for a comfortable retirement. It could have sent a child to college, or it could have brought clean water to a remote world village and saved many people.
Then there is the actual cost to this woman’s home that was brought about by filling it with bargains. Her family was resentful, she couldn’t have company into her home, and she was constantly tripping over stuff. Mice had set up home in her basement, among all of the plastic Target store bags still filled with products that were never opened and used. Jackets with the tags still on them were ruined in her closet, covered with a blanket of dust. Boxes of food were constantly being lost in the house in the clutter, promoting them to buy more of it. So much for a bargain.
Beside the expense, bargain hunting can wreck havoc with our sense of well-being. If we get into a pattern of using bargain hunting for excitement, comfort or self worth, then what happens when we are left with all of the stuff and nothing of real value? Isn’t it better to get our fix from more important things in life, such as family, friends and real personal or work accomplishments?
Now this woman and family were an extreme of course, but I will definitely keep the situation in mind the next time I am debating over purchasing a “good” bargain.
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!
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