Three Dimes, a Couple of Pennies, and a Handful of Loonies

Posted by Amanda on Sunday Feb 7, 2010 | Classified as: thrifty shopping | Sub-Classified as: money, responsibility, style

This is the first post in my series on thrifty shopping. Read on if you’re interested in learning about achieving Thrifty Nirvana.

I’ve always been a thrifty shopper. I’ve mastered the art of shopping on a tight budget. I’m an expert at making ten bucks stretch for two weeks. It’s a rarity for me to pay full price for anything outside of restaurant food and video games (but let’s get real: if it’s a game, I trade-in my old games for it anyway).

I went to the local bookstore this evening, just looking to kill time before I met up with a friend of mine. After I’d paid for my purchases, the cashier looked at me and said, “You’re really thrifty. You got some great deals here.”

I smiled and agreed.

“I’m a sucker for a good deal.”

Smiling back, she handed me the bag and said, “I never buy anything on sale. I don’t have the self control. I just want it now.”

Immediacy: the affliction of our generation (especially).

Everything needs to be instantaneous or it’s not worth it. The web page must load immediately. If that skirt is fifty bucks, we try it on and just can’t wait. Or that book that we can’t live without? Just bought the hardcover for thirty dollars. Charge it, baby.

It’s become a badge of honour to be full price consumer.

Luxury is just that: a luxury.

Am I guilty of impulse buying? Damn straight. Happens to me all the time! The difference between my impulse buy and the girl ahead of me in line at The Bay is that I just dropped thirty dollars on an LBD while she dropped three hundred on a fashion forward dress that’s bound to be out of fashion by fall. But hell, if she can rock the dress well beyond its best before, good on her. Chances are that she’ll put the dress in her closet next to last season’s fashion forward dress and forget about it until she buys a new one for next season.

Even if you have millions to spend on clothes, shoes, and electronics, that doesn’t mean that you should. Celebrities go into debt trying to keep up their luxurious images. Many of them go bankrupt living a lifestyle that is well beyond their means. Regular, every day people go into debt and go bankrupt for the same reason. Debt is the condition of our culture. We’re all fighting to get the hell out of it, even Mike and me.

A little closer to home is the question I get asked fairly frequently:

“Amanda, can you teach me how to shop like you do?”

Take a knee, Padawan.

Five Steps to Your Thrifty Nirvana

That delightful woman I wrote about a little while ago (y’know, my mom) taught me everything I know about shopping on a budget. She gave me a discerning eye. I’d give my eyes to you but that’s kinda gross. Instead, let me share her wisdom with you.

One: Never, ever buy full price.

I was downtown Vancouver the other day, perusing my favourite shops on my way to the library. I came across three really beautiful blouses, all of which fit me amazingly (thank you, Urban Outfitters). Two of the blouses were new arrivals (read: not on sale) and the other was more than 50% off.

Guess which one I bought.

The other two went on my wish list. I wrote down the style and SKU in my BlackBerry so that I can keep an eye on the products over the coming months and wait to for a sale.

Two: Shop around for the best deal, especially on groceries.

That’s what those annoying flyers are for. Flip through the flyers to see who’s selling what and for how much. I know what you’re thinking:

“Amanda, I really don’t have the time to sit down and flip through flyers just to save thirty cents on a bag of frozen peas. Isn’t there an easier way?”

I’m glad you asked me, telepathic reader!

Head to the store and price check in the aisle. Honestly, that No Name rice is just as good as the expensive Basmati rice from the specialty shop down the street. Might even be tastier.

Goes the same for clothing, electronics, books, you name it. Get a second opinion from another store. Don’t be afraid to wait while you do your research.

Three: Exercise your waiting muscles.

I know the waiting game sucks. Buying the product right now is just as much fun as Hungry Hungry Hippos was is. Buying on a whim is a blast.

But, if everything you purchase is on a whim, you’re going to end up with stuff that you not only don’t need but you couldn’t really afford in the first place. Of course, some people see need fairly subjectively. For example, I really do need my computer(s). Other people could beg to differ that a computer is a need.

Four: Buy used. Trade-in. Swap.

Thrift stores are awesome for buying cheap, unique furniture that’s been gently used or restored.

If you’re a gamer like me, trade-in your old games in order to purchase new ones.

Trade-in your old consoles in order to buy new ones. Well, don’t trade in your NES or Sega. That’s just silly. But if you’re looking for a PS3, trade in your PS2; your XBox for an Xbox 360; your Gamecube for a Wii. Your new console is fairly backwards compatible.

Swap clothes, crafts/art supplies, and electronics with your friends. Tired of that blouse you bought last year? See if your best friend needs an addition to her wardrobe, as long as you’re the same size. See if you can snag that sweet dress she’s not wearing anymore.

Five: Figure out what a “good deal” is.

This was the most difficult part of learning how to shop. Originally, I thought that any kind of sale was a good deal. It must be, right? It’s on sale! All sales are made equal.

In fact, all sales are not made equal.

In British Columbia, a 15% off sale will pay for the taxes on the full price product.

Figure out what the mark-up is on the product you’re looking at. As an ex Best Buy sales associate, I knew which products were mostly mark-up and which ones were sold mostly at cost. Laptops and game consoles are sold barely above cost. DVDs, CDs, cables, and accessories are mostly mark-up; it’s where the store made its profit.

If you figure out what the mark-up is, you can determine whether or not the sale is a “good deal”.

Practice Makes Perfect (Sense)

This isn’t something that you’re going to be able to master in one shopping trip. It’s going to take discipline, patience, and dedication. These tips are the culmination of fifteen years of watching a Thrift Master at work.

What are your thrifty shopping tips?

How to Rock Responsibility Without Being a Grown-Up

Posted by Amanda on Tuesday Jan 26, 2010 | Classified as: Personal Development | Sub-Classified as: money, responsibility

I suck at being a grown-up. I still watch Saturday Morning Cartoons, even on weekdays. I eat Reese Puffs cereal or Pop Tarts for breakfast sometimes. I love it when my nieces and young cousins come over because I secretly love to play pretend with them. I get lost in video games for hours and hours. I watch Disney movies in marathon sprints with April.

As a kid, I was Little Miss Responsible: conscientious of finances, attuned to the emotional well-being of my family, and especially mindful to the needs of my little brother. I desperately wanted to make everyone happy. It turned into a sort of complex for me.

When I moved out, I still wanted to make everyone happy but it was also the first time in my life that I had all the freedom I could ever ask for. (Take note: my parents were and are the most flexible individuals I know. I was not quashed under some totalitarian regime.) I had more money than I knew what to do with. I could go out all night and not have anyone worry about me.

In Which Responsibility (and Brains) Were Lost

I’ll be the first to admit it: I super failed at managing my money (and life) when I got out on my own. For all the life management I had when I was living at home, I didn’t apply any of it to the outside world. Poor money management led to bad eating habits, which led to weight gain, which led to depression, which led to worse money management, which led to worse eating habits, which led to more weight gain…

Damn it.

I was stuck.

At the time, I was just pissed off at myself for not paying more attention to my self destructive habits. I scared the people that loved me into thinking I was losing my mind. I scared myself into thinking that I was losing control. In actuality, I wasn’t out of control.

At eighteen, I rebelled against myself. I didn’t want to be responsible or strong anymore. I wanted to be a little kid. And yet, I had become the antithesis to my childhood self: self-indulgent, cranky, and manipulative. It was all about me, me, me and screw everyone else because Me, Myself, and I were pissed off at you. Something had triggered this response. It took a couple years of self pity and introspection to figure out why.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen, says my inner self. Time to pick yourself off the ground and stop having a bloody tantrum. There’s more to life than trying to be one or the other. Why not try being both?

Responsibility: A Four Letter Word No More

It’s been five years since I moved out on my own. I’ve learned a lot since then. Re-learning how to manage my life has been one of the biggest – and most rewarding – challenges. I’ve determined that there is a way to maintain a childlike spirit while still rocking responsibility. And by I’ve determined, I mean that Mike (my husband) has determined.

Side note: Mike should seriously have his own blog. His ideas astound me. He pretty much always wins at life.

Responsibility implies respect: respect for yourself (and your partner), the life you’ve created, and the future that you’re creating. It doesn’t mean that you have to give up everything fun and whimsical in your life.

Responsibility can seem demanding, “You must do ABC in order to be an adult. Go sit in the corner and think about what you’re going to do with the rest of your life.” In actuality, responsibility is a whisper in the back of your head that asks politely, “Remember to talk with your husband about that purchase. No, not because you have to but because you’re a team.”

Responsibility provides peace, not chains.

Responsibility extends to every facet of your life: money, relationships, goal-setting, making cupcakes, etc. It’s more about common sense than anything else.

What About Being a Kid?

Children are guileless. Energetic. Wild. Fearless. Ready and able to try anything and everything, especially if it means they get to have fun and connect with the people they care about. The knowledge of responsibility shouldn’t change that. In fact, responsibility should enhance that. We should be teaching our children that responsibility and maturity doesn’t mean that you have to be a grown-up. You can – you should – retain the wonder and delight.

It’s time for a parity shift.

How Can I Rock This?

So, are you irresponsible? Or are you too responsible? Is it even possible to find the balance between the child and the grown-up?

Hell. Yes.

• Take time out for whimsy: read a fairy tale (but don’t let yourself get caught up in unrealistic expectations); take a walk in the park and pretend that you’re in a magical land, where nothing is what it seems; daydream.
• Find a budget that doesn’t suck and stick to it. And by doesn’t suck, I mean doesn’t suck the energy out of you forever and ever. Look at it as an exercise in funding your whimsy.
• Create something. Anything. It could be a macaroni Jerry Seinfeld, a poem, or cupcakes. If you bake cupcakes… screenshot. Srsly. I <3 cupcakes.
• Manage expectations in your life: other peoples’ expectations of you, expectations of yourself, and expectations of other people. Do this for your work and personal life. You’ll be less stressed.
• Watch a cartoon from your childhood. Trust me: it’ll be so bad, it’ll loop back around to good.
• Collaborate with the people in your life: on decision-making, projects, love, problem-solving, raising kids, anything. Don’t bury your head in the sand and refuse help.
• Deal with it. Deal with your problems. Deal with your hang-ups. But don’t deal with it alone. Talk openly. Be honest.
• Be wild.

Let’s be rockstars, children, and wild flowers and still pay our bills on time.