Let me tell you a shopping story.

A couple of weeks ago I had a terrific shopping experience at Walgreens. One of those days when the sales, the coupons and the stars must have all aligned. In four transactions I spent a total of $18.84 and saved $866.18 (see copies of my receipts on the Walgreens tab).

On the way home I stopped at Target to pick up some socks. No coupons, no deals - just a package of socks.

On my way to the sock section I passed the home decor items. There it was - a beautiful mirror - perfect for my living room wall - only $69.95.

A little shopper devil whispered in my ear - "You deserve it - you just saved over $800 at Walgreens."

This can be a big problem for couponers. We see those big "you saved" numbers and impulsively think we have money to spend.

That's why I follow the "24 Hour Rule".

What is the "24 Hour Rule"? It's simply a limit you put on impulse purchases and a promise to yourself that you will wait 24 hours to buy anything over that limit.

Because I'm out shopping a lot I've set my "impulse buy limit" low at $10. If I'm tempted to buy something that's not a necessity and costs over $10 I wait 24 hours. Most of the time when the 24 hours is up I don't even remember the item. If I do remember and still want it I look at my budget to make sure I can afford it.

What happened with the mirror? I didn't get it. But I was in the same store a week later and saw it marked down to $49.95 so maybe I should make my 24 Hour Rule a 7 Day Rule! --Mom