Labor Intensive Savings

So, there I was, sitting on my duff, langorously reading the paper, and lo and behold, the Media has finally embraced frugality with a vengence. There before me were smiling pictures of “tightwads” recounting their parsimonious ways.

But as I read further about all the things they have to do to save money, fatigue seeped deeper and deeper into my limbs. They made it all sound so exhausting.

For instance, there was the coupon-clipping maniac who spends hours every week snipping, sorting and shopping. She triumphantly recounted how she got a box of breakfast bars for $1, down from $3.99.

D’oh! And here I’ve been making big batches of homemade granola bars in about 20 minutes for the same price, from the comfort of my own home. How silly of me.

I’m not anti-coupon exactly, but they’re usually more trouble than they’re worth:
  • Coupons are almost always for convenience foods, which are invariably less healthy than homemade.

  • Even with a coupon, most of the time the homemade equivalent is still cheaper.

  • Cooking from scratch takes less time, gasoline and effort than organizing coupons and hunting for specific products.

  • Coupons almost always have quantity limits. I like to buy enough of a good deal to last us for months and store it so I don’t have to buy it again for awhile.

  • Convenience foods in boxes holding mostly air cut into my storage space.

A relaxing afternoon for me looks a lot more like reading a library book with a cup of tea than a mud mask and steam bath, even there’s a half-off deal at the spa.

The Power Shoppers who leave no stone unturned to get the absolute best price for something specific also wipe me out just thinking about them. How about a more basic approach to shopping?
  • Can I just live without it? (How’s that for lazy?)

  • Can I borrow it?

  • Can I find it used somewhere?

  • Can I research on-line or with a couple of phone calls how much it’s supposed to cost and then buy it when I encounter it at the low end of the range? (This may not make it the cheapest I could buy it, but time is worth more than money!!)

Honestly, NOT BUYING stuff requires no more work than pushing the buttons on your T.V. remote. Or playing a board game as a family. Or going on a bike ride.

Newspapers and magazines get most of their revenue from advertising, so of course they either have to make non-consumption look hard, or pretend that consumption is really savings.

But don’t you be fooled!