Do you find yourself buying something on sale or clearance when you don’t really need it? Are there times a company offers you a deal that is hard to resist? Maybe it came in your mail. Or possibly you saw a commercial on T.V. Maybe someone called and quoted you a great deal on car insurance or health insurance. The list goes on. And some offers seem too good to pass up. But are they? It’s best to check it out first before you spend the money and maybe end up regretting your purchase.

Something that I have fallen for is the ridiculously inexpensive magazine subscription. For only $7, I can get a year of XYZ magazine. Regularly priced at $29.99. I wouldn’t mind that magazine, and it’s only $7. Why not? Well, I’ve lived without that magazine for my whole life. But, once it arrives, I realize I don’t even take the time to look at it. Was it a deal or a waste of $7?

My mother subscribed to the local newspaper. When she paid the bill of over $600 for a year of daily service, she felt it wasn’t worth it for the little she looked at it. I told her to cancel it and get a refund. She called, and they talked her into a better deal for a shorter period of time. She took the deal because it was less expensive than what she had been paying. But it was not a deal because she didn’t want the paper. They apparently have outstanding salespeople over at the newspaper office.