7 Tips to Avoid and Deal with Coupon Burnout ~ Part 3

Coupon Burnout happens to all of us - whether you're a newbie just starting out and learning the ropes, or a veteran couponer who feels like they have it all together.......there usually comes a time where you just get overwhelmed and it seems like too much effort and you want to give up.  Here's a 3 part series with 7 tips to avoid getting burned out or what to do if you are.......
If you haven't already, be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 also.

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4. Reassess
Think about what caused you to get burned out in the first place and ask yourself some questions.  Is it that you don't have a good system in place so it's stressing you out?  Are you trying to get every deal, every week?  Maybe you're juggling too much in your life overall and something has to give?
What's working for you?  What is not working?  Think about what stresses you out - if you were to start again tomorrow, what is making you dread it the most and how can you change those things?

5. Think About Your Goals
Is your purpose to scoop up every single bargain you find and make a crazy cool stockpile and donate up the wazoo?  If you have the time and resources (and you do it the right way - no shelf-clearing!), then awesome!  If your goals are to have a couple back-ups of what your family commonly uses and help stretch your budget a little, then you may not have to be so aggressive in your hunting for deals and you may have to watch out so that you don't get caught up in the excitement of it and let it skew your perspective.
Only you will know what your goals are, just remember that couponing should only be part of your life - not the whole thing!  Keep a healthy balance.


6. Make a Game Plan
Now that you've had some "time away", hopefully you've have gotten some perspective. You've thought about how you've been doing things and maybe what you should do to change it.
It may have just been a little "smoky" and be as simple as just needing a few weeks off and you're ready to go again......or you may completely "charred" and need a whole overhaul.  You will have to figure out what that means to you, but be honest with yourself and where you're at in life.

7. Take Action
You should now feel more in control and be able to avoid burnout again by knowing what your goals are and being realistic about the time and resources you have available.  Now that you've made a plan, step back into the game.  Wait for the next great sale or freebie week at Walgreens, Rite-Aid, or CVS and let that reignite your passion.  Just remember to use coupons and bargain shopping to your advantage, but don't let it take over your time and life!  Use it as a tool to benefit you and your family and enjoy it!  =)




Do you ever get burned out?  How do you handle it - or how do you avoid it in the first place?  What advice do you have for others feeling burned out?

I'm thinking about writing a future post about how to maintain a stock-pile, maybe include some "rules" you'll want to follow to make the most of it, and how to store things when you don't have a "rebate room".  Let me know if you're interested in something like that, and what questions you might have about stockpiling.

**This is last post of a 3-part series, you can see Part 1 and Part 2 here.