Everybody Loves Your Money

Every now and then I wonder if I’m too much of a tightwad.  I’ll confess that there are a few things I do to try to keep our costs down.  In no particular order:

• Religiously turn off the lights (and usually turn on the CFL bulbs instead of regular light bulbs (We have some of each in the house due to preferences)
• Try to go to Blockbuster on Friday and Saturday nights (not all the time, just when we want a movie) and walk the perimeter to see if they are completely out of any movies that are “guaranteed in stock”.  At least half the movies we watch are free which brings the average cost of movie rentals down to $2.00
• Normally buy only items in the grocery store that are on sale and stock up when they are on sale.
• I’m a gas slut.  I always buy the cheapest gas.  (Repair shops will tell you to buy the expensive gas so that you don’t clog up your fuel injectors.  Haven’t had that problem yet and I’ve bought a LOT of cheap gas)
• Never pay regular price on any electronics or other “one time” purchases
• Love getting businesses to price match
• Research all major purchases online first and check all the store’s ads
• Love to call service companies (cable, phone etc) and ask them to lower my price.  I’ve saved hundreds just making the call
• Strike up conversations around things we will be needing (like a kid’s bed, bbq, lawnmower etc).  I’m amazed at how many things I’ve gotten from others either for free, or very cheap.  (Neighbors, friends etc)

I do these things because I enjoy it.  Lots of people would find this to be a hassle, but I find it to be a bit of a game.  If I can buy something cheaper than everyone else, I’m happy to do it.  It makes me feel better about the purchase and gives me the sense that I received a solid value.  Certainly there are many things that I won’t sacrifice on, but if I can buy a good quality item at a good price, you can bet I will.

I read an article awhile back that talked about the new age of keeping up with the Jones’.  Basically, the article stated that rather than trying to keep up with their neighbors, people were starting to try to keep up with what they see on TV.  I can find no better example of this than what happened in our neighborhood recently.

I was outside talking to a couple of the neighbors when I heard one of them talking about a big party that was happening that night.  Apparently a girl a couple blocks away was having a “Sweet 16″ party.  This wasn’t just a little party.  Over 100 kids were invited and it was being held at a community hall.  There would be a live DJ, food and refreshments and it was a “black tie” event.  Amazing.

I can only imagine where they got the idea to spend thousands of dollars on a party for their daughter.  It turns out that there is a show on MTV called “My Super Sweet 16″.  Basically it’s a show that highlights the great lengths and expense that some families will go to for their daughter’s 16th birthday.  What’s the big deal with 16?  I think that they should celebrate the Sweet 24.  By that time, the kid has proven that she isn’t on drugs, hasn’t given birth to a bunch of babies and has finished college.  That seems far more impressive to me than just existing and living off your parents for the first 16 years of your life.

Now, of course I can’t really speak as an authority on this.  My daughter is only 3 and I haven’t experienced the other 13 years yet, but I can tell you that we will not be spending thousands of dollars celebrating her 16th birthday.

One other thing that I found interesting was listening to the parents talk about it.  There was no question that every other parent was looking at the event with a bit of anxiety.  They all mentioned that they’d sat down with their child to explain that this wasn’t a “normal” thing and that they shouldn’t expect that they’ll have a party like that.  Regardless, I would guess that the impact of this Sweet 16 party will be that many other parents around here will spend a little bit more so that they feel like they didn’t give their child a “lame” 16th birthday party.  I just hope all this has passed by the time my daughter hits that point……..