Deal Seeking Insanity

I am always trying to save money. I am constantly on the prowl for a good deal and when I get one its like getting my fix of dope. All those dollars saved feel like crack cocaine to my body! There is some insanity to this whole saving money thing I do and I justify and rationalize my insane behavior like any good addict would do. I hoard coupons for things I probably never will buy and have them lying all around our whole house. This "deal seeking" consumes so much time and sometimes I end up spending more money because of it, and then I pledge to myself that my couponing days are over. Today was a good example. About a month ago I found a coupon for a $19 safety and emission test at a local automotive shop. Normally they cost around $40 so I was ecstatic to find this. Knowing that I needed to get my registration renewed soon I held on to it. After failing the safety inspection I realized why they send out the coupons in the first place. The mechanic had a long list of items that needed to be repaired before it could pass the safety test and most of the repairs were completely unnecessary. Change windshield wiper blades, air filter, tires, fix tint, etc. etc. They were happy to take care of all these repairs for a pretty price; however feeling perturbed and somewhat deceived by the lure of this coupon I felt like "sticking it to them". I spent all day going around to fix these "necessary" repairs at other more affordable shops. I went back to the shop to have my car retested. As a rule of thumb I'd say places that have good customer service don't have to persuade me that they provided me with good service and in fact if they try to convince me of their "excellent service" I think all the less of them. This is what this shop attempted to do. At the end they had to tell that they should of charged me $30 or $40 for helping me (for a few minutes) peel the tint off my rear window but that they weren't going to do. I replied with a somewhat confused, "Thanks?" Anyways so much for trying to save money.