I'm always drawn to those articles with titles like, "How to save an extra $500 this year!" and "Ways to be even more frugal than you already are."
I click on them, thinking that in one I will find THE MYSTERY TRICK to squeeze a little more blood from a penny.
But what I find is that these articles either suggest doing things I already do or they suggest things that are just, to me, a little ridiculous.
The articles that suggest the things I already do list things like "get books from the library instead of buying them," and "get rid of cable television." Generally, there is nothing these articles suggest that I'm not already doing.
The other articles suggest things that sound "easy" but are a pretty big time suck, in my opinion, like taking surveys every month to earn money. Or using ten trillion apps to save money.
The problem with some of these ideas is that they don't value time, and time is valuable. I use store apps for coupons and iBotta, but these require time to use. They require regular checking to ensure I've clicked the coupons I want and have scanned my receipts and submitted them.
Articles that suggest shopping at four different stores to save money on special items that those stores have on sale don't consider the time involved and the gas involved in driving to and from four different stores.
The articles that suggest that I can get my grocery budget down to $100 a month often require me to buy foods and items that I don't want. I might be able to find a coupon for a $1 bottle of lotion, but with my sensitive skin, I might not even be able to use the lotion, in which case I have spent $1 on nothing.
I don't buy Hamburger Helper or refrigerated biscuits or Poptarts because they are full of preservatives and calories. To buy them might "save me money," but I have to consider my eating values. I'd rather not buy them and spend a little more on veggies or fruits or whole-grain foods. To get $100 on foods I don't want isn't saving me $100.
Over time, I've learned that you sometimes have to spend more money on one thing to avoid spending money on another thing.
For example, last May, I developed plantar fasciitis. I went out and bought a pair of $90 fitness shoes to wear while I walk, and my intention is to purchase a new pair this May. My condition has improved, but I don't want it to come back, which may result in doctor visits and cortisone shots and specially made insoles. Spending $90 a year on new high-quality shoes can potentially keep me from spending a ton more if I re-injure myself.
I've also learned from experience that doing things yourself might not actually be cost-efficient. I tried to change the faucet fixtures in our powder room once. I got the old ones out and could not get the new ones in, so I called a plumber. It took the plumber AND his apprentice to fit the new fixture in. There is no way I could have actually done it myself, and I could have made things worse, which would have been MORE expensive, not less.
I'm sure, despite what I know about these articles, I will continue reading them. I'm a realist but I somehow can suspend my disbelief enough to think maybe there is a Holy Grail.
I click on them, thinking that in one I will find THE MYSTERY TRICK to squeeze a little more blood from a penny.
But what I find is that these articles either suggest doing things I already do or they suggest things that are just, to me, a little ridiculous.
The articles that suggest the things I already do list things like "get books from the library instead of buying them," and "get rid of cable television." Generally, there is nothing these articles suggest that I'm not already doing.
The other articles suggest things that sound "easy" but are a pretty big time suck, in my opinion, like taking surveys every month to earn money. Or using ten trillion apps to save money.
The problem with some of these ideas is that they don't value time, and time is valuable. I use store apps for coupons and iBotta, but these require time to use. They require regular checking to ensure I've clicked the coupons I want and have scanned my receipts and submitted them.
Articles that suggest shopping at four different stores to save money on special items that those stores have on sale don't consider the time involved and the gas involved in driving to and from four different stores.
The articles that suggest that I can get my grocery budget down to $100 a month often require me to buy foods and items that I don't want. I might be able to find a coupon for a $1 bottle of lotion, but with my sensitive skin, I might not even be able to use the lotion, in which case I have spent $1 on nothing.
I don't buy Hamburger Helper or refrigerated biscuits or Poptarts because they are full of preservatives and calories. To buy them might "save me money," but I have to consider my eating values. I'd rather not buy them and spend a little more on veggies or fruits or whole-grain foods. To get $100 on foods I don't want isn't saving me $100.
Over time, I've learned that you sometimes have to spend more money on one thing to avoid spending money on another thing.
For example, last May, I developed plantar fasciitis. I went out and bought a pair of $90 fitness shoes to wear while I walk, and my intention is to purchase a new pair this May. My condition has improved, but I don't want it to come back, which may result in doctor visits and cortisone shots and specially made insoles. Spending $90 a year on new high-quality shoes can potentially keep me from spending a ton more if I re-injure myself.
I've also learned from experience that doing things yourself might not actually be cost-efficient. I tried to change the faucet fixtures in our powder room once. I got the old ones out and could not get the new ones in, so I called a plumber. It took the plumber AND his apprentice to fit the new fixture in. There is no way I could have actually done it myself, and I could have made things worse, which would have been MORE expensive, not less.
I'm sure, despite what I know about these articles, I will continue reading them. I'm a realist but I somehow can suspend my disbelief enough to think maybe there is a Holy Grail.
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