The Most Un-Frugal Behavior: Procrastination

 

Waiting in a long line because you didn't anticipate the large crowd is one thing, but procrastinating purchases is another. If you are unaware that your stockpile is getting low on dog food, or toilet paper - it will cost you more money to get the products you need. If you are planning an overseas trip and need a special cell phone or plan to be able to use your phone in Europe; procrastinating will cost you inconvenience and possibly more money for your International minutes. If you need new glasses before that trip and don't plan your new eye exam and ordering inexpensive glasses online; you'll pay hundreds of dollars more for a pair of eye glasses at the local eye glass store.

All these are examples of how procrastinating can cost you money. It's a smart and frugal behavior to anticipate your needs for replacing or acquiring a product. This way you can watch for a sale, visit online sites and set up alerts for sales, and watch for coupons at vendors you may use.

As for your stockpile inventory at home, never take the last of an item from your shelves without putting that item on your next shopping list. I actually have a threshold level of some things like paper towels (like 10 left) where I'll add it to my grocery tracker app and start looking for deals. Remember, some sales cycles are 12 weeks long, and if an item was just on sale it might not be again for a few months.

Now, I've got to check my stockpile...