Confessions of a Cheapskate

Let’s ignore coupons and sales for a moment. Let’s think about the basics of grocery shopping.

Empty Fridge?

How not to shop…

I once shopped with a neighbor/relative who had some car trouble and needed a ride to the store. She had a (continue reading…)

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This video from Good Morning America leaves me stunned.

I am not stunned over the total; I think give any coupon person a stack of inserts, a printer ready to go, a stack of grocery ads and unlimited time and eventually they’d all be able to come up with one transaction like this. It might mean a cart full of Perrier water, Dulcolax and glucose meters, but it’ll be large, impressive, and free.

I was stunned because the transaction went (continue reading…)

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I work in the customer service industry and I ask  people for their email addresses on a regular basis. Many refuse to give them to me because they don’t want to be ’spammed.’ (continue reading…)

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There is something wonderful about having a stocked pantry.  It’s convenient. When you stock up at a good price, you also get the added bonus that cheap food tastes better. It really does. Honest.

The items we spend the most money on are necessity items.

Directly, you just spend more. If you need shampoo this week, you need it. You aren’t going to go all week without it to see if you can save $1 the next week on your favorite brand. This is just going to happen with certain things. (continue reading…)

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First of all, I’d like to welcome all of you new readers to my site! Thank you so much for stopping by!

I’ve struggled writing this entry for my website for some time. It’s very important to me that I explain the concept of stockpiling correctly because this is vital for longer-term savings. It’s important to me that I get it right, that I make it easy to understand. (continue reading…)

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Yesterday I went to Meijer and was very excited to find .55 peelie coupons on these little Hungry Jack instant mashed potato pouches. Regular price is just .99, so I paid just .44 for each pouch. I picked up 4 of them. There are 4 servings to a pouch, so it’s a mere .11/serving which I congratulated myself upon. I saved over 50%! Often regular potatoes offer up a lower price, however, these boxed potatoes have (continue reading…)

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5.  Sheer added profit. If my weekly grocery budget is $50, the store will get my $50 each and every week. If I use just 1 $1 coupon each week to stretch my budget and still spend $50 each week, that’s +$52 WIN for the store over a year’s time. Multiply, baby. It’s a lot of money for nuthin’.

4. Priceless word of mouth marketing. The only thing better than getting a great deal is telling others (continue reading…)

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By far, the most frustrating part of being a bargain shopper is poor customer customer service, especially at the register.

Cashier training manual?

Not everyone is as enthusiastic about getting a great deal with coupons, I’ve learned. I’ve had more than my fair share of run-ins with (continue reading…)

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Hi. I’m Jenn, and I’m cheap. I’m not frugal, I’m cheap. There’s a difference.

My husband Derek is frugal. I think most people can learn to become frugal. He rarely impulse buys. He compares the cost vs. quality to calculate value. His buying decisions make sense. For him, shopping is a means to an end.
Man needs boots. Man shops for boots. Man finds brand and style that fit, are comfortable, and sturdy for man. When man needs boots next year, man buys the same pair. Boots are no longer an issue. Boots, once a problem, now solved.

He knows what he wants, he knows where he can get it, and he knows which brand offers consistent quality. He doesn’t waste time later fixing stuff that ain’t broke. Reasonable, eh?

Not I.

I think of shopping as more of an adventure. It is my goal to spend less at nearly all costs. The difference between cheap and frugal is, I will go without rather than full price. I went 15 years without winter bootsand 7 years without a winter coat, and I live in Michigan.

Some ask me to teach them how to shop. Most lose interest once they find out how much work I actually put into it. I think it is possible to help someone to spend than they currently are, especially if they aren’t putting
much effort into it. I think it’s possible to help people lower their grocery budgets or to make small changes and come out money ahead.

Cheap cannot be taught. It’s something one is born with, period. I feel pained to buy something at full price. When I walk into any store, I don’t look at price tags as an absolute; they are all suggested retail prices. I’d rather take the gamble waiting for a markdown, and possibly lose the item I was interested in.

I mean this for everything, clothes, shoes, groceries.  Last year Michael’s had some really cute stoneware mini bread loaf pans and coffee cups for $1 all holiday season, painted with snowmen. I wanted the loaf pans, and I really needed the coffee cups because I owned none. We visit Michael’s nearly every week and I carefully watched after the holiday at the falling clearance prices. 30% off? Pshaw. 40%? Pfft. 50%? Now, we’re getting closer! At 60% I had to take a visual inventory. The store still had several racks. I made a pretty safe gamble and waited it out even longer. 60% came and went. At 75% off, I happily filled my cart with cups and pans to my cheapskate heart’s delight! Every morning when I drink my coffee I feel calm and content knowing that I only paid a quarter for my coffee cup. THAT is what being cheap is like. I saw, I observed, I waited, and I pounced in for the kill. True bargain hunting!

Conversely, had I spent $1 for my cup and then later found them on the rack at even 50% off, I’d feel scorned – every.single.morning.

Cheap is an emotion. Frugal is a lifestyle. I am here to share my cheapskate adventures with you!

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