Comments on: Money Mistakes I Made Last Month

By: Christy

Christy — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:37:15 +0000

Jen,
You will need to call 1-888-8coupons, they will ask for some information off of your receipt. If you qualified, they will send the Catalina coupon in the mail to you. I have done it a couple of times before and always gotten them in the mail.

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:33:16 +0000

How do you call the Catalina company to have it sent to you. That recently happened to me and I would like to get my $4!

Thanks,
Jen

By: Patrice

Patrice — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:39:42 +0000

Re: library fines. You might see if you can renew your books/dvds online. I have an online account and I receive emails when my books are coming due in 3 days. I can simply select to renew them and don’t have to worry about making a trip to the library until it is more convenient. Libraries are valuable community resources, so when I absolutely do have to pay a fine, I don’t feel too bad about it–with city budget cuts, the library can use the extra revenue.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 08 May 2010 13:19:19 +0000

A couple of mistakes I make: Over-buying, for instance, ten boxes of crackers because they’re $0.50 each and then no one eats them (that’s $5 wasted). AND, quickly ordering great deals (that I don’t need) that I see advertised on blogs…products, magazines…adds up!

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who gets those $1 / day dvd library fines. I always feel so stupid!

By: Shellie

Shellie — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:03:56 +0000

We all make mistakes. Does your library have an email account you can set up to get reminders days before your books are due? I have come to depend on that!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:03:04 +0000

We all have messed up when it comes to couponing- I remember miscounting 1 item and losing out on a Kroger 5$ instant rebate when you buy 10 items. I remember thinking a sale at Walgreens was wonderful when the local Target had a much better offer and would have saved so much time. Although we all have made mistakes unknowingly I think it is important to remember “who is your provider?”. It doesn’t meant that we are not diligent with the money we have been given but bottomline my God is in control. There have been so many mistakes in learning to coupon and yet God always provides in unexpected ways and blesses me abundantly. We have clothes on our bodies, shoes on our feet, and a bed to sleep in

By: Kerri

Kerri — Sat, 08 May 2010 00:58:03 +0000

I was just thinking about this last night!! My monthly, yes I said monthly mistake is always the same!! Forgetting to pay the water, electric, garbage, and phone on time. Therefor resulting in ridiculous late charges. I made a promise to myself and my husband last night to pay all bills on time. I will probably be saving a few hundred a year in late charges alone. Thank you for sharing.

By: Jennifer Butler

Jennifer Butler — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:55:04 +0000

Thanks a TON for sharing your money “bloopers!!” I too struggle with library fines; especially now that my kids are old enough to check books out- they’ve lost 2 and paid WAY more than we would have even in a bookstore! I also quit renting movies from Blockbuster since the late fees were so ridiculous. Just the little things that add up. I LOVE your site!

By: Dorothy

Dorothy — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:28:07 +0000

Thank you for sharing your goofs. You’re not alone. Library fines really get to me. I try to remember that the fines I acrued (ahem, $37 worth!) are STILL cheaper than all those books, CD’s, DVD’s and magazines that we enjoyed and neglected to return. On the flip side, that $37 would’ve bought a lot of groceries.
Goal: To come under the weekly grocery budget to pay off the library fines so we can use the library again!

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:11:08 +0000

What a wonderful post today! Knowing that a master couponer such as yourself sometimes “wastes” money on occasion. My most recent faux pas was forgetting a $5 off a $50 purchase coupon for Safeway. I found deals that I wasn’t expecting so I spent more than anticipated and I didn’t have it with me. I will be sure THAT won’t happen again. As for library fines, I grumble at those too but justify it with the fact that it goes to a good cause. If you add up all your fines for the year and then divide them by the amount of items that you check out I would bet it would be fractions of pennies each. Not too bad!

By: Abby

Abby — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:49:40 +0000

Maybe this will make you feel better my biggest money waster last month paying for an inspection on a house that it now looks like we will not be getting due to the bank that owns the house that was being sold to us in a short sale being taken over by the FDIC. Yep $480 down the drain!

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:21:28 +0000

You sound a lot like me. We did our taxes 2 days before they were due even though we were owed a lot of money that could have been collecting us interest. My biggest money waster was food that spoiled and had to be thrown away. I need to remember to freeze my fruit (bananas, mangos, etc.) if I am not going to use it. Then I can use it in a smoothie another day.

By: Angela

Angela — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:17:07 +0000

THANK YOU for your honesty! I’ve sure had my share of money mistakes and was just feeling bummed about it too. Today I realized how over-budget we are on our gardening project, for instance. AYE. I also had a Catalina I didn’t call on last month and library fees too. Even worse, I missed the due date for a credit card payment this month. THE WORST bill to have missed. I’m praying they’ll be gracious when I call, but I’m not holding my breath.

You’re not alone…we’re all human. Even us “couponers.” Thanks for reminding me I’m not alone! ITA the best approach – not to beat yourself up, but do what you can to rectify the situation (if possible) and/or just move on.