Stop spending more than you planned

Editor's note: This is a transcript of the audio file.

We've all heard the carnie-barker radio ads screaming “the more you spend, the more you'll save.” But it's easy to get sucked in, and spend more than you bargained for. I'm Taylor MacDonald with your Bankrate.com Personal Finance Minute.

With e-mail deals, smart phone apps and warehouse clubs, it's not hard to find great deals on your favorite products, but that's exactly what retailers want. Promotional emails are one way stores like to get customers on the hook. A fear of missing out drives people to spend where they normally wouldn't or shouldn't. The same is true in warehouse stores. A great deal on a bulk item that you'll never use all of isn't such a great deal after all. Be wary of perishable food items with a short expiration date. If you buy 10 steaks, but 5 go bad, you have paid twice as much per steak. There's nothing wrong with couponing to save money, just don't go overboard. A good rule of thumb is if you never would have bought it outside of the sale price, you're probably better off not buying it at all. And for more money saving tips, just visit Bankrate.com. I'm Taylor MacDonald.