What will you spend more money on?
July 8, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under saving money
Here at Thrifty Mommy, I’m guessing that we all have a shared goal of saving money, but yet, we all go about it differently. For example, as previously noted I won’t take the time to clip coupons, but I will search the thrift store racks for 30 minutes for a pair of $4 jeans before I’d ever head to a real store and pay $30. I make homemade cleaners and won’t pay for cable but I would never shop on Black Friday just to score some deals.
We all have habits. Some of our habits include spending more on some items over others. I bring this up because sometimes I think about the thrifty books I read, or blog posts, and it seems I could be doing more to save money. Some of those authors of thrifty books come off as if they NEVER spend a dime more than they have to. This makes me wonder about the rest of us. Do we all hold back or do some of us splurge once in a while?
I do splurge, not often, but I do. I do however look for sales on the items below, but if I can’t find one, I’ll still hand over the cash for them. Here’s what I won’t compromise on…
- Coffee: I’ve tried to buy cheaper coffee, I really have. But the coffee snob in me hates me for doing it, and I may as well not drink coffee at all. NOT an option.
- Organic fruits and veggies: You see conventional for really good deals, and many I will buy conventionally, but if a fruit or veggie is on the dirty dozen list, it’s very rare that I won’t buy the organic version.
- Organic milk: Milk is already expensive. Organic milk is a lot more. But dairy rates high on the list of conventional food baddies, so I always buy the more expensive organic.
- Lip gloss: I hate cheap kid lip gloss. I splurge (sadly) on my faves instead.
- Lotion: I usually buy organic or natural lotions (when I don’t make homemade) and it costs more than say, a store brand, but I like that they work better and don’t come chock full of chemicals.
- Recycled toothbrushes: These really cost more than store brand toothbrushes, and work just the same, but the greenie in me makes me need to spend more in order to lower my footprint some.
I’ve known folks who only buy the best meat but would never dream of shelling out cash for a book they can get at the library. I know others who splurge on shoes but clip coupons and search for sales all day long for groceries. I suppose my splurges are mainly affected by my eco-issues, but all of our splurges are slanted by something.
What do you splurge on and why? OR do you think you should try to save money 100% of the time – no compromise?
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I’m with you on the coffee. I have become quite a coffee snob and cannot stand many brands. For some reason, I really like the taste of Carribou. I got the last bag that Target and Harris Teeter had on clearance. That’s only two bags though and I’ve already used one of them. Not sure what I’ll try next. What’s your favorite brand of coffee?
I’ve been getting good deals on very decent coffee at our local job lot chain. The brands vary and some are better than others but they’ve all been totally drinkable. I’d say they compare favorably with the mass market “upscale” coffees like Seattle’s Best, Peet’s, etc., and they cost about $3 a pound.
I buy almost all our clothes at yard sales and thrift stores but I buy shoes new and I will spend more for shoes sometimes. If I can’t find them on sale, I’ll pony up the dough and pay full price. I’m fixing to buy myself a pair of Frye boots now.
@Karen, I like this organic brand you get at Trader Joe’s, but now with the Trader Joe’s fish issues I may be buying coffee at Safeway, they carry organic Seattle’s Best and a store brand organic that’s good.
@Kimberly – good shoes are worth it. I pay more for Simples because I LOVE them and they’re eco-friendly, plus it seems like cheap shoes break sooner, and I hate shoe shopping. I don’t consider good shoes as much of a splurge though because they’re a better deal in the long run than cheap shoes.
I have some Seattle’s Best organic. If we weren’t so far apart from one another, I’d pass it on to you. I thought it was horribly bitter! It was so bad that I won’t even finish off the bag. That says a lot for me, since I’m such a cheapskate.
i splurge on coffee too! can’t stand bad coffee. i also spend more on meat. as a former vegetarian, cheap meat scares me
my biggest “splurge” is probably the mascara i use. it’s really too much to pay for mascara but worth every dime! my husband (thankfully) has no idea how much it costs!