“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.”–Hebrews 13:5
Getting the Deals and Value Seeking
Part of what makes bargain hunting fun for me is finding good value in my low cost purchase. I’m looking for decent product, not just junk. Watch for good deals all year long. Often buying out of season can save you some serious cash on some nice items. “Free money” in the mail, you know the $10 off a $10 purchase or $5 off a $5 purchase, gets me in the store. My strategy is to spend as little over that amount as possible. Occasionally this can be a bit time consuming, but think of it as a puzzle to solve and enjoy the game. On rare occasions, it works out perfectly. For instance, I found sweatshirts 90% off or $2.50 each. I picked out two and used a $5 off a $5 purchase coupon. They were completely free, and Sid got a new paper bag in which to play. Looking at the store’s website online ahead of time can also save you time in store. Purchasing necessity items like hand soap and towels is another wise use of those free money coupons.
In June I received an $8 off an $8 purchase coupon to acknowledge the 8th anniversary of my having a certain store’s credit card. My initial thought was Father’s Day gift. As I was perusing online for a gift, two things happened. One, I had to to consider shipping costs because my dad lives over 800 miles away. Two, while I was looking for gift ideas, I came across the perfect birthday present for my nephew. So I found a better gift idea for my dad at another site which was featuring $.99 shipping and spent the money on the gift instead of shipping. I figured out which local store had the item for my nephew in stock and drove there to pick it up. Coca-Cola shirts are a traditional gift between my nephew and his “Auntie Coke.” When I saw the new style of t-shirt, I knew it was perfect. Even better it was $9.99, I had the $8 off coupon, and they had also sent me an additional 30% off coupon. I walked out of there with the perfect gift for $1.50 and a big smile on my face. Victory was mine!
Getting a great deal can simply be being in the right place at the right time like finding those $2.50 closeout sweatshirts. However, value is something we can consider in our everyday purchases. If given $10 to spend at the grocery store, what is the best way to spend it? While I realize prices for different products vary by region, I’m estimating local costs in my area to illustrate my point. Purchase one: A dozen eggs, 1/2 gallon of milk, bag of rice, head of lettuce, bag of carrots, and a 5 lb bag of potatoes. Purchase two: A bag of pistachios and a 12 pack of diet soda. While I love pistachios and am a soda addict, option one, to me, is a better value. You’re getting a lot more quantity and nutritional value. When I was running this scenario by my brother and had only mentioned the idea of what you could get for $10 at the grocery store, he immediately replied, “Not much.” My thought is that we shouldn’t just dismiss $10 here and there as only $10. That $10 here and there does add up, so does a $1 here and there for that matter. For some reason in my mind it always translates to food. A dollar saved is 8 grapefruits a certain week at HEB or a bag of rice or another item that fulfills a basic nutritional need. It’s just something to consider when trying to make the most of your money.