The Price is Right

My mom often used to joke that she hears the sounds of little chicks when I'm buying something. "They're saying, "Cheap, cheap, cheap!" my mom would quip.

I fully admit that I am cheap frugal. It used to bother me when being called out for it, but I've grown comfortable with this quality. Now, I even relish it. What's even better is that I've found a husband who is my equal in frugality.

The thrill of the hunt for deals is thoroughly enjoyable to me. I don't mind spending an extra hour researching an item if it means saving a load of money. While some people gloat about how much they spend on their designer clothing or handbags, I get pleasure out of buying similar items from TJ Maxx for about 80% less.

An area that seems to embarrass many people is using coupons, although I believe Groupon has made the practice a bit more acceptable in recent years. I'm all for spending part of Sunday sifting through the papers for coupons and using them on triple value coupon day at the grocery store. One of my proudest moments while grocery shopping was having a $210 bill, of which I only had to pay about $70. The cashier actually had to page the manager to approve the transaction, because the cash register thought the huge discounts were incorrect. The cashier started telling people in line what had happened and everyone was amazed, one person clapped, and another asked if I'd do her shopping from now on. When the manager approved the sale, she said she'd never seen so much saved in one sale before.

There have been countless times when I've been ready to purchase something I'd like (not need), but called it off when I discovered the price. Sometimes I find the cost of items so abhorrent that I want to school the offender by morphing into Adam Sandler when he and Bob Barker fight in "Happy Gilmore," yelling, "The price is wrong, bitch!"

I think living in the DC area makes frugal living stand out even more. The area is rife with people interested in spending frivolously on luxury items, and not taking the time to examine the value of purchases. I can't tell you how appalled I have been at hearing how much credit card debt people here hold, yet continue to spend on luxury items, thus accruing more debt. Plus, while living here, I have encountered more blank stares and eye rolls in response to my penny pinching than any of the other cities I've lived in. It's a good thing I don't care.

My frugality is what pushes me to use items until they are so past their lifespan it's sometimes laughable. Re-using plastic take-out containers? Yep. Keeping my antiquated computer tower until it was too slow to function and the monitor actually blew out? You bet. And might I remind many of you who have visited my home about the hand-me-down table and chairs that I finally had to get rid of. You know, the decades-old chairs that literally fell apart underneath some guests (Again, sorry about that. Please come over and enjoy the new dining set). It simply pains me to purchase new items before the old ones are used to their fullest potential and absolutely ready to throw out. Granted, I'm not as bad as my father-in-law, but close. He wore a threadbare robe for 40 years, until my mother-in-law's frequent "pressuring" finally won, and a new robe magically appeared in the closet.

As I've alluded to in previous posts, different people have different priorities and values in life. My priorities focus more on travel and enjoying life experiences than having a huge house, expensive car and the most up to date electronics. I believe that scrimping in some areas that matter less allows for more funding for things I actually care about, like being able to jet away to warmer weather when the winter is getting the better of me.

But even when it comes to important experiences, like travel, I'm not a big spender. I'll spend weeks researching the best deals and will choose to stay in a small room in a 2-star hotel, if it means I have more money later for scuba diving, visiting an ostrich farm or going parasailing. (I'm not saying I'll tolerate dirty hotels, but I don't need tons of perks.) Those who ask about the prices of my trips tend to be utterly surprised at the low costs.

In the end, people can tease me as much as they want for being a cheapskate. But I'm going to continue to look for freebies, collect coupons, buy generic and avoid expensive, flashy purchases. I contend I'll be the one laughing all the way to the bank... and on my next adventure vacation.