Who is the impulse buyer/shopper in your family?

[edk35]

My husband is ours. Sometimes it drives me nuts. He loves to go grocery shopping. He absolutely LOVES IT. I have to admit..NOT my fave so I do let him go, but I go when I need to do a BIG SHOP. We can shop at the commissary at the military base that is minutes from our house. We go every weekend. I try and tell him "We go every weekend, we don't need cases of this or that. He also stock piles things. He can't just get 1 can of this or that....it has to be 2 or 3. We can't just go to the mall to walk around...because if we do...we are going to spend money.

However my husband CAN NOT STICK TO A LIST TO SAVE HIS LIFE. The odd thing....it drives him NUTS if we don't use up the last little drop of soft soap in the bathrooms, shampoo, toothpaste etc. Oh and don't get me started on stuff in the fridge. He will eat leftovers that ARE PAST THEIR TIME. He has gotten sick off of doing this. He will scrape a container of butter spread until it looks DOG LICKED CLEAN. So it is odd that he is such a horrible impulse buyer. Once many years ago..he got sooooooooooo mad at me for throwing out a smidge of his shampoo. I mean it was CHEAP shampoo. LOL He had the bottle turned upside down on its cap and there was just a small amt. left in the cap. GEEZ

I can ask him to stop by the store or Walmart on the way home to pick up a couple of things.....well I know good and well he will NOT just come home with said items. I know I am lucky that he enjoys this task but OMG it costs us MONEY EACH AND EVERY WEEK. He buys a VAST ASSORTMENT OF SNACKS FOR OUR DOGS, SNACKS FOR THE KIDS, JUST TOO MUCH. He does try and do the coupon thing. The commissary puts them out along the aisles and we kinda do them at home too. So that is good. But it is sorta counterproductive when you overbuy. When were at WDW for 10 days and then Vero for 4. We went to Publix twice and WE ENDED UP BRINGING STUFF HOME in the cooler because too much was bought. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I have heard that a good way to track your spending is to keep track of what you are spending every day. That is another issues. He is a HUGE COFFEE drinker so he hits Star Bucks and Dunkin every week. Our family keeps him stock piled with Star Bucks cards...he loves those. So that helps but just today...he had coffee all morning at home....then we leave at 10:30 to pick our son up at a soccer camp..less than 45 min. away and just as we are arriving HE HAS TO GET STARBUCKS. Then I told him that we were coming straight home and not stopping for lunch because I needed to wash our son's clothes and get them all done for him to go to the beach for a week with a friend. He would not even be here 3 hours before he headed off for that trip. So...what does hubby do...he says "let's order pizza and I will pick it up while you start laundry". We had 3 frozen pizzas in the freezer. I do all of the finances, I pay the bills and all. He is good with taking leftovers from home for lunch so I can't complain there. Anyway....just a small vent I guess.

Anyway...I think I am going to have to start doing the shopping myself if I ever want to lower my grocery bill. It has ALWAYS BEEN HIGH. Too high.

Let me add....love him to death and I do appreciate his help. He is great at helping.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Shhh, don't tell DH, but I am. DH is a spender, if he has money with no name he will spend it, however if he has a list he will stick to it and if I tell him the money we have is budgeted for such and such he won't touch it.

I am frugal and generally just stay out of the stores, but when I am out I always seem to find something we "need" unless I shop with a very specific list.

 

[vegasnative]

For sure with out a doubt my husband is our impulse shopper. It drives me insane. Let me just share with you some of the things my lovely man has done. Along with OP, he cannot stick to a list to shop. I refuse to allow him to do the grocery shopping because what would cost me $100, will cost him $200 due to impulse buys. For example, last night I asked him to go to the store to get something, I don't even remember what I sent him for. As he was walking out the door, I said, hey "grab me some milk duds". He came home with Milk Duds, Mike & Ikes, Cadbury chocolate bars....seriously? Candy overload.

About 7 years ago, we were visiting some little town and stumbled on to an RV Park. We walked around it, I was admiring all the RVs, and said "ya, I could do this." The next thing I know....surprise...we have a travel trailer! WTH? Ummm, ok....thanks?! Of course I LOVE it, and we go camping often, and our boys love it, but it was a total surprise to me.

Okie dokie then, in May of this year, I went out of town. Prior to this we had been "hypothetically" talking of getting rid of my mini van. My husband is not a mini van fan, but I actually liked it, it served it's purpose and was practical for me & the kids. When they picked me up at the airport, they were in a different vehicle.....SURPRISE!! WTH????? OMG, WWIII erupted. I was upset, mad, shocked..... I tried everything I could to get my van back, but the dealer wouldn't have any of it. I asked him what he was thinking and he said "I saw this and thought it was bad a** so I bought it!" "I didn't think about practicality or snow or anything else". OMG!!!!!

Me, I'm the thinker, I'm the planner, I'm the reasonable person of the relationship! Gheesh, now you got me all worked up!!!!

 

[edk35]

For sure with out a doubt my husband is our impulse shopper. It drives me insane. Let me just share with you some of the things my lovely man has done. Along with OP, he cannot stick to a list to shop. I refuse to allow him to do the grocery shopping because what would cost me $100, will cost him $200 due to impulse buys. For example, last night I asked him to go to the store to get something, I don't even remember what I sent him for. As he was walking out the door, I said, hey "grab me some milk duds". He came home with Milk Duds, Mike & Ikes, Cadbury chocolate bars....seriously? Candy overload.

About 7 years ago, we were visiting some little town and stumbled on to an RV Park. We walked around it, I was admiring all the RVs, and said "ya, I could do this." The next thing I know....surprise...we have a travel trailer! WTH? Ummm, ok....thanks?! Of course I LOVE it, and we go camping often, and our boys love it, but it was a total surprise to me.

Okie dokie then, in May of this year, I went out of town. Prior to this we had been "hypothetically" talking of getting rid of my mini van. My husband is not a mini van fan, but I actually liked it, it served it's purpose and was practical for me & the kids. When they picked me up at the airport, they were in a different vehicle.....SURPRISE!! WTH????? OMG, WWIII erupted. I was upset, mad, shocked..... I tried everything I could to get my van back, but the dealer wouldn't have any of it. I asked him what he was thinking and he said "I saw this and thought it was bad a** so I bought it!" "I didn't think about practicality or snow or anything else". OMG!!!!!

Me, I'm the thinker, I'm the planner, I'm the reasonable person of the relationship! Gheesh, now you got me all worked up!!!!

He got another vehicle????? I bet you are scared to ever go away by yourself again.

My husband has never done a big purchase but he is like your dh when you said grab you some milk duds....then he comes home with another 20 bucks in candy. My dh went to Krispy Kreme by his work and got coffee and brought us donuts....I think to justify the coffee. We would have been fine without the donuts. Matter of fact we never saw his coffee....so he drank that on his commute. I guess the thought is what counts...we don't have Krispy Kreme near us...but it is the 10 to 20 buck purchases during a given week that ADD UP.

Yesterday we were out running a few errands after taking ds 11 to see Toy Story... I got the craving for making sloppy joes (we never have them...kids don't like them) ... So I sent dh into the Safeway to get buns and a can of Manwich. I told him to just get the regular old kind.... wasn't sure if they made different flavors now. Well he got the buns, AND TWO CANS OF MANWICH...regular and BOLD. He just can't stick to the list..whether it is a written list or mental.

 

[vegasnative]

He got another vehicle????? I bet you are scared to ever go away by yourself again.

My husband has never done a big purchase but he is like your dh when you said grab you some milk duds....then he comes home with another 20 bucks in candy. My dh went to Krispy Kreme by his work and got coffee and brought us donuts....I think to justify the coffee. We would have been fine without the donuts. Matter of fact we never saw his coffee....so he drank that on his commute. I guess the thought is what counts...we don't have Krispy Kreme near us...but it is the 10 to 20 buck purchases during a given week that ADD UP.

Yesterday we were out running a few errands after taking ds 11 to see Toy Story... I got the craving for making sloppy joes (we never have them...kids don't like them) ... So I sent dh into the Safeway to get buns and a can of Manwich. I told him to just get the regular old kind.... wasn't sure if they made different flavors now. Well he got the buns, AND TWO CANS OF MANWICH...regular and BOLD. He just can't stick to the list..whether it is a written list or mental.

You have no idea! I've told him that I am hiding all my personal possessions if I ever leave by myself again! I've had to tell him, to never get rid of my vehicle EVER again without talking to me about it first. He knows he screwed up on that one, I think he has learned his lesson. I'm going to a funeral Thursday, by myself, I've jokingly told him how much I LOVE our house and he better not do anything crazy while I'm gone!

Yep, that is my husband to a tee, he would have also come home with both cans...probably both sizes of both cans! (My kids don't like sloppy joes either...isn't that weird? I thought all kids liked them).

 

[RadioFanatic]

It's my dh as well. If I think we are in need of something bigger, I don't tell dh until I've researched, budgeted, know what I want and then am ready to buy. Then I tell him or he would be out getting it the minute I mentioned it! I just did this with the minivan we just bought. I researched for months, budgeted what we could pay bc I wanted to pay cash, dealt with a company and then casually mentioned maybe we should consider a minivan - just like I knew, he immediately said we needed to go out and get one - we went where I "suggested" and got the minivan that I had been casing, for the price I was willing to pay.

He is never allowed to go shopping bc he pays three times what I do; and he is a dunkin donuts iced coffee junkie. He buys what he wants and pouts when I resist. He bought me a laptop for mother's day even though I had no need or desire - I know he wanted it. He has been begging for an ipad which he totally doesn't need (he has an iphone and an apple computer only a year old). he'll be getting that and only that for christmas. I know he'll pout about not getting more, but too bad. He's also awful getting stuff for our son all the time that he doesn't need. I'm really worried about our two year old becoming spoiled.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Dh and I are both guilty, but it's usually more 'me' keeping things in check. DH is more into the Dunkin Doughnuts or Starbucks, or lunches at Wawa etc... but they add up! Things for the kids (hehe, kids... I'm still not used to that!) are my weakness, but I usually don't spend more than $20 on impulse.

 

[eliza61]

Unfortunately I'm the guilty culprit. I'm great with sniffing out a bargain but if I have some extra money in my pocket, it's gone.

I do well with goals. When I was planning my trip to France, I scrimped and saved out the wazoo.

Dh is much better at saving. If he doesn't need any thing he can go in and out of stores all the day long without parting with his dollars, but he's the king of paying full price. When he'd plan a trip to the world he'd simply go on line and book. No mousesavers, no AAA discount, nada.

 

[mom2val]

Dh is ours. I was so frustrated at Walmart this past Sat with him. Suddenly he needed over $60 worth of socks and underwear. I could have screamed right there- I mean did they all suddenly wear out at once? The worst part he did not get the socks I buy for him and "guess what?" - he does not like them. Now our nephew is getting a ton of socks - dh opened the packages and washed them all at once so we cannot return them.

 

[Virgderon]

It's him all the way. Especially at the grocery store. I can't bring him.

With me, it's only when my (adult) kids are visiting. I would spend my last nickel on them, and I have been know to do it. Lunches, clothes, toiletries, pedicures- it all happened on DD's last visit.

 

[MoniqueU]

Mostly my DH he just spent 300 bucks I told him not to spend on an excersise bike that he has used once. We had a perfectly good treadmill so he could of just used that. He was on a health kick for about 2 weeks but that has gone by the wayside

I plan for things and budget as best is possible but he is commision only so that only works so much

I am jealous of those who can make a budget and stick to it, with our pay jumping around so much it is hard some months to even make the bills

I know everyone was saying not to opt in for overdraft protection but some months we really used it and needed it. Apparently our bank did away with it or selected us to not give it to, The bank missed out on some money from us and my DH is going to have to seriously watch his spending

 

[labdogs42]

My DH is the one in our family. I have gotten better about not mentioning that I'm even contemplating any kind of large purchase (e.g. I can never say, "I was thinking maybe we should get a new laptop some day..." or, "wouldn't it be cool if we had one of those Class C motorhomes?"). if I even mention an item, he's ready to buy it, budget be damned! He's slowly getting a little better and I'm getting a little better at reigning him in, but it can be maddening! But, he has never traded my car in while I"m away. I'm afraid there would be bloodshed if he did something like that!

 

[thebeesknees]

I am definitely the spender. That is why the no-buy thread has been great for me - it forces me to look at where the money is disappearing to. I am great at finding bargains, but most of the time, we didn't really NEED that item to begin with. I can't begin to count how much I've spent because of the budget board posting all these great deals!

 

[jessicaprice]

It’s me . DH always plans a specific list of necessary items, and he sticks to it. But I always get tempted towards shopping clothes, bags and makeup.

 

[ohanaMAMA]

Im so glad I am not the only one dealing with an impulse buyer husband! We have been on a VERY tight strict "disney" budget these past few months. He has been driving me CRAZY. Every week he wants to go out and do something and then pouts and acts angry when I tell him we dont have the cash. He LOVES to pretend to "hide" things in the buggy when we grocery shop. he is WAY worse than our kids!

 

[csharpwv]

My wife is definitely the impulse buyer in our house! She is a sucker for donation requests (police organizations, childrens programs etc etc etc)
She is an easy sell in high pressure situations as well. She gets caught up in all the excitement and just wants to yell - YES! with glee HAHA
I on the other hand am more apt to so NO, Thank you!
So - we keep each other balanced.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Neither of us is really an impulse buyer, but we do spend probably $300/month at Starbucks between the 2 of us. Does that make you feel better

 

[midwestdee]

In our house, DH is definately the spender. He spent $800 on a ceiling fan for our bedroom a couple of years ago. I didn't even know they MADE $800 ceiling fans, but he managed to find one. I don't know if this will make vegasnative feel better, but when our DS was 8 my friend and I took the boys on a DC trip. While we were gone, he bought DD a new 10 speed bike and bought a new stove and microwave!!!! This is a man who cooks hot dogs once a year! If he had traded my car in, he would have been sleeping in the one he bought and I would have mortgaged us up the wazoo to buy a new mini van. As it is, I made it perfectly clear that if he ever did that again he would rediscover the joys of sleeping in a tent.

 

[libraryfreak]

Okie dokie then, in May of this year, I went out of town. Prior to this we had been "hypothetically" talking of getting rid of my mini van. My husband is not a mini van fan, but I actually liked it, it served it's purpose and was practical for me & the kids. When they picked me up at the airport, they were in a different vehicle.....SURPRISE!! WTH????? OMG, WWIII erupted. I was upset, mad, shocked..... I tried everything I could to get my van back, but the dealer wouldn't have any of it. I asked him what he was thinking and he said "I saw this and thought it was bad a** so I bought it!" "I didn't think about practicality or snow or anything else". OMG!!!!!
l:

Thats just wrong. Sounds like he doesn't think much of you.

You can get your van back - it will cost a boatload of money - but you can sell your new car and buy your old vehicle back. I guarantee you your husband will NEVER do it again. It might be worth the expense to wake him up to the fact that you are an equal partner in your relationship. How would he feel if you did that to him? That was my other suggestion. Sell his car and buy one you like without him knowing. "Honey, I saw this and thought it was bad a** so I bought it."

 

[mamo-4-wdw]

My DS20 is our impulse buyer. If I take him with me grocery shopping I spend at least $50 more. One time I said how I disliked our dryer and he came home with a new one that night! He keeps talking about getting this stove he saw at sears, it cost $1,000 OMG
I hope he won't see the $2,000 frig that is close to it!