When you go to the store to buy something you need, isn’t it great to see the sign “Buy One Get One Free” or “Buy One Get One 50% Off”? Well, yes and no.
We all love getting something for nothing, or for less than we expected. But there is a danger in taking advantage of BOGO opportunities. You need to carefully manage where you put the spare item so that you don’t forget that you have it.
I’ve recently experienced TWO situations where I thought I needed something, only to discover that I already had at least one extra. Luckily I realized it before I went to the store to buy more.
Here are some solutions for managing the extra stuff:
- If you have enough cabinet space, put the new items behind the one you’re finishing up. Don’t buy any more until you are running low on the last of the them.
- If you don’t have enough cabinet space, designate a more spacious area in a closet or cabinet to keep extra items until you are ready to use them. Be sure to group similar items together so that you always know how many you have. Remember to shop your closet before going shopping.
- Resist the urge to stash the extra item somewhere else, especially if it is going to be buried behind a lot of other stuff. You may think you’ll remember you put it there, but by the time you are running out of something, you will have forgotten. (Trust me on this.)
- Be sure to look at expiration dates before buying extras. There’s no use getting an extra one at 50% off if it is going to expire before you have a chance to use it.
