Saving and Splurging

For my dearest cyber pal, Sal, who asked me to do this. I've been mulling it over for days. It's a bit difficult to come up with ten of each, I think. For those who were at my Enrichment class last month, you might want to skip the saves and head right to the splurges.

Ten ways I save money are...
1. by being technologically ignorant. I don't have an iPod and, as previously confessed, do not even know how to download a song. From what I hear from friends, this saves me loads of money.
2. by being a late bloomer. I just got my first cell phone this year. It's a pay-as-you-go plan and Michael and I together spend about $30 a month on our phones. Also, I don't know how to text...maybe that goes with #1.
3. by clipping coupons. I read store ads and stock up on things when they are on sale and I have a coupon for them.
4. by "going green." I use those compact fluorescent light bulbs and when an appliance breaks, I replace it with an Energy Star one. (Okay, the appliance costs more, but in the long run it saves on my electric bill, right?)
5. by subscribing to the concept of "delayed gratification." For example, I had my eye on some shelves at Michael's and bought one each week for three weeks with a coupon from the newspaper. It took a little longer to get what I wanted, but I got it for less!
6. by shopping at the Salvation Army on Wednesdays! I feel really lucky that I live near a great thrift store where people obviously wealthier than I take their one or two children's hardly-used and sometimes never-used clothes. I love getting my kids jeans and pants there...and Wednesday is half-off day.
7. by being too impatient to shop with children. Surely, those women who actually don't break out into hives at the mention of taking their kids to the mall with them spend more money than I. Surely, they do. I am not good about taking kids in public unless it's to a kid place. The mall? Only to get their pictures taken.
8. by having children who don't really eat. (I'm stretching here--this is getting hard!) Tracy is amazed that when we have chicken for dinner, two breasts is more than enough to feed my little family of six (of course, it helps that Maia doesn't touch meat).
9. by only buying books that I know I'll reread. I live ridiculously close to the library and made this rule for myself when I moved into my house. This also saves on having too much stuff in my house--it's a double saver: money and space!
10. by buying my girls' dresses at the Kahn Lucas outlet. How did I ever pay more than $3.00 for a dress before I made this discovery?

Ten ways I splurge are...
1. by hiring a babysitter twice a month (once for Ward Temple Night, once for a "fun" date), sometimes more.
2. by buying good toilet paper. I am a complete T.P. Snob and I embrace it! I cannot scrimp on the quality of the material I use to clean my bottom. I can't and I won't and I don't apologize for it.
3. by joining the pool behind my house each summer. It may cost a little more than other pools in the area, but walking out my door with my barefooted children and arriving at the pool 60 seconds later is priceless to me!
4. by buying Christmas and Easter outfits for my children. I cannot resist holidaywear.
5. by buying Gala apples. Those things are nature's candy, I tell you. I have raised four apple snobs who won't eat cheaper varieties.
6. by having a fabulous amount of life insurance on my husband. If he goes, I'll be sad enough without having to be poor, too.
7. by being a car seat safety freak. I really do check the expiration dates on my car seats and throw them away and get new ones when the time comes. I realize that it probably doesn't matter, this whole expiration date thing, but I just have to follow the manufacturer's recommendation.
8. by buying ridiculous amounts of bows and ribbons for my daughters' hair. Just last weekend I was at the Kids Nearly New Sale looking for great deals on stuff for my kids when I was victimized by a woman who was selling adorable hair bows. One bow cost me more than Maia's Tommy Hilfiger and Mudd jeans put together. See the problem?
9. by ordering pizza when I've had a really busy or stressed day (but, of course, I always have a coupon when I order).
10. by keeping my Michael's car running. This poor car has been a complete money pit, but I cannot help but keep it going. It means so much to me that I don't have to wake up kids to take him to work or interrupt dinner prep/homework time to pick him up. It doesn't mean the same to him, but he begrudgingly humors me.

So, there you have it. The little ways I think I save and splurge on a regular basis. Please, share yours. I'm curious to see how many ways Tracy saves. Hee hee.