as many of you know, i have embarked on the road to minimalism. i am spending more time focusing on developing meaningful relationships and finding inner contentment than purchasing a bunch of things that only provide temporary happiness.
as with most things in my life, i have to take baby steps to complete the task at hand. one of my first steps - unsubscribing from all those darn coupon website emails. every day my email inbox was inundated with emails from groupon - one from fort worth and one from dallas, living social and all of the local area publications that have embarked of this revenue-generating scheme.
i just had to say no. is "couponing" bad? no, it can actually save you tons of money. however, in my opinon, groupon is just like group think. because many people are "biting" at these offers and many more companies are advertising on sites like this, you think it must be good. everyone can't be wrong. but sometimes, everyone is.
these sites survive on the basic principles of advertising.
1. there's something wrong with you, and you need fixing. so buy this ___________ (insert your favorite beauty treatment here: teeth whitening, eye surgery, waxing, etc.) treatment, and you'll be one step closer to perfection.
2. immediate call to action - you must buy this deal now or miss out forever.
3. all of your friends are doing it (the deal is on!), so you should too!
but the truth of the matter is i didn't need any of those services or products. i am ok just as i am. the savings were not that great in return for the service i got because the service provider was so overwhelmed with redemptions. and who cares if all the cool kids are doing it? we, as a culture, should embrace and celebrate the individuality and uniqueness of people.
so, in my quest of ridding the clutter in my life; i disengaged from the coupon/money-saving frenzy. and you know what? i don't even miss the emails. i actually hadn't even thought about groupon until i noticed an advertisement on cnn.com's webiste today. i guess the ad was effective for brand awareness, but it didn't move me to the desired action. instead it motivated me to write! so, thank you, but no thank you. here's to a clutter-free life (and inbox!)
as with most things in my life, i have to take baby steps to complete the task at hand. one of my first steps - unsubscribing from all those darn coupon website emails. every day my email inbox was inundated with emails from groupon - one from fort worth and one from dallas, living social and all of the local area publications that have embarked of this revenue-generating scheme.
i just had to say no. is "couponing" bad? no, it can actually save you tons of money. however, in my opinon, groupon is just like group think. because many people are "biting" at these offers and many more companies are advertising on sites like this, you think it must be good. everyone can't be wrong. but sometimes, everyone is.
these sites survive on the basic principles of advertising.
1. there's something wrong with you, and you need fixing. so buy this ___________ (insert your favorite beauty treatment here: teeth whitening, eye surgery, waxing, etc.) treatment, and you'll be one step closer to perfection.
2. immediate call to action - you must buy this deal now or miss out forever.
3. all of your friends are doing it (the deal is on!), so you should too!
but the truth of the matter is i didn't need any of those services or products. i am ok just as i am. the savings were not that great in return for the service i got because the service provider was so overwhelmed with redemptions. and who cares if all the cool kids are doing it? we, as a culture, should embrace and celebrate the individuality and uniqueness of people.
so, in my quest of ridding the clutter in my life; i disengaged from the coupon/money-saving frenzy. and you know what? i don't even miss the emails. i actually hadn't even thought about groupon until i noticed an advertisement on cnn.com's webiste today. i guess the ad was effective for brand awareness, but it didn't move me to the desired action. instead it motivated me to write! so, thank you, but no thank you. here's to a clutter-free life (and inbox!)
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