Deal or No Deal: Do Sales Really Save Money?

Whether it's in coy, muted lettering or blaring neon, few of us can resist the siren song of the word "SALE!"

In an almost Pavlovian response, we make a beeline for the sign. In fact, if you're like me, you barely notice which department the sign is in. What matters is that there is a discount out there with my name on it.

What is the allure, exactly? The thrill of the hunt? The bragging rights? The everlasting quest to save a few bucks?

D. All of the above.

And therein lies the problem. It's so easy to get caught up in the adrenaline rush of potential savings, we may lose perspective. That's just what the stores are counting on.

They lure us in with promises of a sale, knowing that we'll probably find something else we want. Why do you think the sale racks are always in the back? It means you have the whole store length to see things that aren't a steal.

Before you all rise up in protest, I'm not saying sales are bad. They're wonderful. I love getting a good deal. I love being reminded of the savings each time I use the item.

I don't love how easily the sale becomes more important than the product.

How many times have you caught yourself almost rationalizing a completely unnecessary purchase because it was on sale? How often do we "save" money on things we wouldn't otherwise have bought--and that we end up not using?

Here's the thing: Selling is all about creating immediacy. And so a sale is born.

We know that a sale is transitory, fleeting. You have to pounce on the savings. If you wait, the item may be gone--snatched up by some savvier, more decisive shopper than you.

The thought is too mortifying to contemplate. You grab the item. And another. And, yes, another. Suddenly, you have a cart full of goodies, which--despite deep discounts--add up surprisingly fast.

Which brings us to the nonsense slogan, "The more you spend, the more you save!" It's inane, wonderful and frightening, all at once.

Simple math tells us that buying more will mean higher costs. So "save" is obviously a relative (and dubious) term.

Yet, the concept is so compelling! To buy more and yet somehow save… It's such a lovely thought.

Unfortunately, it's not real. But it seems true--I want it to be true. So, for a moment, my brain lets me toy with the idea. That's the truly terrifying aspect of this slogan. It appeals so strongly to my emotional side that, however briefly, my logic center is shut off.

Once again, we find that humans are the weakest link in the frugality chain. If we could always think and act rationally, there would be almost no debt in this world.

But we are creatures of passion, beholden to our love of discounts and savings. Sometimes, that works to our advantage. The rest of the time…Well, maybe we should pass up a couple of sales signs now and again.

Abigail Perry is the author of I Pick Up Pennies, a blog about frugality in an imperfect world. She writes about balancing frugality/debt reduction and our inherent limitations--for her, disabling fatigue. Despite low income and not being, as she puts it, "the Martha Stewart of frugality," she and her husband have paid off over $40,000 in four years.