I’m finally getting to head out on my first vacation in over ten years! Hurray! Granted, it could technically be classified as more of a mini-vacation or weekend away, but it’s something nonetheless. It’s a time for relaxing and spending time with the family, with minimum stress, hustle, or bustle.
Since we’re heading into a major city, there will be lots of stores and lots of major coupon deals to be had – especially on Sunday, when the new weekly sales take effect. Which got me wondering – what about couponing while on vacation?
I’ve actually never really given much thought to couponing while on vacation. Mostly because I haven’t had a real vacation in so long, but also because it’s not something that I think I’d really want to tackle during a time that’s meant for relaxing.
Of course, there are a couple of advantages to couponing while on vacation.
First, I’ll save money on food, since I can pick up grocery items at super discounted prices. I’ll just have to do a little homework before hand to find out where to get the best deals. Buying food at the grocery store at preparing it ourselves will save us tons of money on this trip, since we won’t have to head to restaurants for every meal.
Couponing while on vacation also means the chance to coupon at stores that I’ve never had the chance to shop at before. There are tons of stores where we’re heading, and some of them I’ve always wanted to shop at with coupons since they always seem to have the best deals!
For me, though, couponing is more for necessity than just for fun. While I do have fun couponing at times, it can also be quite stressful for me. I’ll be the first to admit that checking out with a stack of coupons can make me a nervous wreck from time to time! Since I can be a bit of a perfectionist at time, it can also take me quite a while to hunt deals, gather coupons, organize coupons, and make lists. I usually repeat those steps several times to make sure I have everything just right.
And then there’s the matter of the kids while checking out. They don’t exactly see couponing as much of a super fun hobby, and both of them look a little like this when I whip out the coupons at checkout…
(Don’t get me wrong – they’re pretty awesome kids and understand why I coupon, but they don’t exactly have the patience of an oyster.)
So, will I be couponing on vacation? Well, it all basically boils down to one thing – do I really want to spend my time couponing while on vacation?
I’ve finally decided on the answer to that question, I think, and that answer is a big fat “no“! Although I did consider packing up the coupon binder or even taking just a small stack of coupons, in the end I decided that couponing while on vacation is just too stressful and time consuming for myself and my family. We’re just going to enjoy a little stress-free fun time!
