When I hear terms like Black Friday and after-Christmas sales, I should feel a little excited, but that feeling is gone now.

Honestly, now I just think, "Yeah, here we go again with the shopping."

Just ten years ago, I would stand in line in front of Stonewood Mall or Best Buy at dawn, shivering with coffee in hand, waiting to snag a TV at a discount.

Even picking up just one or two sale items made me feel like I had won a battle in the treasure hunt, and I would come home and brag to my husband, "Do you know how much this originally cost? Do you know how much I paid for it?" That was the fun. But these days, when I think of Black Friday, I immediately think of Amazon Prime Day.

There are so many sales throughout the year that I can't even tell what's a big deal anymore.

When I go online, I constantly see phrases like "This price today only," "Last chance," and "Deal ends soon," but honestly, my credit card bill never ends. The problem is that in the past, I would put in the effort to hunt for sales, but now I just use my fingers to compare prices.

After making a round at Costco, I sit at home with the Amazon, Target, and Walmart apps open, debating, "Where is it $3 cheaper?" Sometimes I find it amusing.

Being a housewife feels like a mix of financial management and shopping; I can't even tell the difference anymore.

Let's say I decide to buy a big-ticket item like an air fryer or a vacuum cleaner for Black Friday. The problem is that even before it arrives, I habitually search again. But lo and behold, a few days later, I see it marked down by $20 as a Prime special? That moment is truly mind-boggling.

I can't even curse to myself and end up just opening the review section to read about others' complaints before closing it. The same goes for after-Christmas sales. In the past, after the year-end, if I saw marshmallows, chocolates, or Christmas decorations at 70% off, I would just grab them all. But now, with online discounts happening before the season even ends, I feel foolish for buying in early December.

I picked up some tree decorations on sale at Target, but when I go grocery shopping and see the same items cheaper, my heart sinks. I stand there holding my shopping cart, debating whether to return this and buy it again, wondering if I have to stand in line again for this... Then my husband chimes in, "It's only a few bucks difference; don't waste your time, just keep it." He's right, but it still feels unfair.

Whether it's Black Friday or after-Christmas, the names sound appealing, but the online world has sales all year round, so honestly, the excitement from back in the day is almost gone.

Now, even when I think, "This is really cheap," I find myself searching again, and even when I add something to my cart, I wonder, "What if it drops again next week?"

Thanks to that, impulse buying has decreased a bit, but shopping has become exhausting. I used to tire myself out walking around department stores, but now I get mentally drained sitting on the couch. We have entered an era of comparison rather than an era of sales.

The most frustrating part is when I buy a bunch of items during the sale period, and then around mid-January, out of nowhere, I see "Additional Clearance Sale" pop up on a weekday, and the items I bought are now almost half price. At that point, I can only laugh.

I vow never to shop on Black Friday again, but when November rolls around, I find myself setting alarms and giving up.

In the end, the ones winning in this game are not housewives like us, but the companies that have turned sales into year-round events, making people think.

But what can I do? Today, I go out shopping, make a round at Costco and Target, and come home to compare prices on my phone while grumbling. "Seriously, I need to avoid falling for the next sale."