I like your post & the tone of it contrasts strongly with the one immediately above it.
you sound happy, and why not?
thrift can be a comfort, a habit, a game, or even a joy as well as something necessary.
I stand & applaud!! :p:):):)
I pick the lowhanging fruit.
Whoever is going to drive more takes the more efficient car.
I have programable Internet connected thermostats, so I set the temp at 90 when no one’s home and turn it down from my phone on my way home.
I take cold showers during the summer (tap water isn’t “cold,” it runs through the 160 degree attic)
We make our own baby food. It’s better quality and you can usually buy a whole grocery bag full of in season fruit for the same amount as a couple jars of baby food.
I avoid debt, pay it off quickly when I get into it, and automatically divert earnings into savings accounts through direct deposit.
I fix just about everything myself. I’m currently saving about $3500 by rebuilding my leaking master shower myself instead of hiring it out.
Before I throw something out, I examine it for re-use. I enjoy doing a lot of artsy craftsy stuff, and you can spend a small fortune on arts and crafts supplies and equipment. For that matter, I’m sure you could spend quite a sizable fortune. I don’t just re-use items for craft stuff. I’ve got a bunch of glass jars with lids, for instance. My husband used to sneer at me for washing these things out and saving them. However, if he wants a container and plastic won’t do, he’ll beg for one now. Of course, there’s such a thing as saving too much of this sort of thing, but I do keep it in check.
I pick over the clearance aisles of the crafts stores. For instance, I bought some paper punchers for about a buck each. Original prices varied from five bucks to twenty bucks. Instead of paying big bucks for craft paper for those punches, I’ve used colored paper bags and envelopes. Many envelopes have security patterns inside, which makes interesting punch outs and paper beads, like these: http://www.junkmailgems.com/beads.html . I also make paper beads from various catalogs. Jewelry catalogs in particular tend to have layouts where the background color is very complementary to the goods being shown, so that they make great paper beads.
I use the library a lot. I also shop at used books stores for most of my books, and again I hit the clearance aisles first. For some authors, though, I try to buy new books. I figure that when I buy new, I’m “voting” for that particular author, and encouraging him/her to write more.
If I have the time, I’ll go to thrift shops. Now, nine times out of ten, I will find little or nothing of use to me. Maybe I’ll get a few books for a quarter a piece. But that tenth time…I might find a famous name dining table and chairs, which is missing one chair. The whole set would cost a couple of thousand bucks new…but because it’s missing a chair, and is at the thrift shop, I only paid a couple of hundred bucks for it.
I’m a weird mix, if it’s a guitar or a gun or whatever else I want…money’s no object. Getting the exact thing I want is more important than the price. But, I can be an extreme cheapskate if it’s something I need but don’t really want to buy.
I frequent the thrift stores for clothing, both dressy and wear-around. It’s hit or miss, but today I made an unusually good score! There was a sale and I got three pairs of like-new dark jeans with a bit of stretch that fit like a dream, for about $5 a pair. (The labels: Coldwater Creek, Old Navy, and The Gap). They all have to be shortened a bit, but I know how to do it myself (another saving, a tailor charges $10 per pair).
I save my change, especially quarters, and roll it up in free wrappers from the bank, or take it there and let them count it up (for free).
I used to make my own greeting cards with cardstock from AC Moore, rubber stamps, stickers, and scrapbooking materials from the dollar store. I borrow books on making cards and such from the library for inspiration, and I’ve made some gorgeous ones if I do say so myself. Hallmark can kiss my ass! …Relatives who are unfortunate enough to get stuck on mailing lists from charities now save and pass on the free cards they get. Not just Christmas, but birthday, get well, etc. Some are really pretty, some are blank, and I now have a lifetime supply, all free.
You’re not alone. I have a very similiar pattern with jewelry and books. If I really want it, I will pay the price and find the money somehow. That said, most of the beds in my house are covered in patched together blankets. I don’t mean the exquisitely handcrafted quilts some people buy new material cut into intricate shapes and sew together as a hobby. The blankets are blocks of denin, corduroy, tweed, etc. from worn out pants and skirts that have been cut into the giant squares sewn together and tacked with yarn to hold the filler. Making these blankets is a common answer to teenagers whining about having nothing to do in our family. Many windows also have matching curtains and rugs.
I buy used condoms.
I am not hugely thrifty, but where I am, it tends to be of the “75% off is still more expensive than not having it at all” school–that is to say, it’s not that I find great deals, I just do without. So we have always had just one car, I don’t have expensive hobbies, we don’t really travel, our furniture is mostly what we had in college (over a decade ago), there’s no art on the walls. On the other hand, we have the most expensive of indulgences, a child and a stay at home parent.
You reminded me, I’m a sucker for clearance stuff. I won’t buy it just because it’s deeply discounted, but I tend to get less pick the cheaper it is. Nothing like finding a respectable shirt or household item or whatever for pennies on the dollar.
I always comparison shop and tend to go with the cheapest option that will meet my requirements. However, I’m not thrifty in the same sense as my mother or pet. I own over 1,000 music CDs, a lot of books, DVDs etc. My mother is happy with 50 or so CDs, and the dog is happy with a couple of toys. Also, unlike some people I know, I do pay attention to per-unit prices at the grocery store. And I seldom buy clothes, but usually at thrift stores although I don’t buy secondhand underwear.
My most recent finds:
- A Crate & Barrel couch. Retail $2000. Price paid: $200.
- A 100% white goose down permabaffle box construction LL Bean comforter. Retail $250. Price paid $80.
I did a partial renovation of future MIL’s bathroom (Allure flooring, new wax ring on quality Kohler toilet, new porcelain apron-style vanity, new satin nickel faucet, new satin nickel Waterpik showerhead, new mirror) this past weekend for $400 including handyman labor.
New overhead lighting, new GFI, new shower fixtures and epoxy painting her tile with Rustoleum tub & tile should run an additional $250, so she’ll have a completely renovated bathroom for under $700.
She’s very lucky, indeed 
I buy as much of my kids’ clothes as possible from the second hand store (preferably when they have a clearance sale). I buy my clothes and my husbands at a different second hand store when I can (they don’t have a lot of selection for my husband’s size). What I can’t get there I don’t pay full price for ever. 30% off if I am desperate. I usually wait for 50% or more (and I shop in cheaper stores like old navy).
When doing groceries, I use coupons (if it is something I actually use), I buy off-brand and I stock up when there is a sale.
I don’t buy anything I don’t really need.
(Except wine. You can never have too many bottles of good wine in the house.)
ETA: I also no longer pay for books. The local library has a great website where you can track what you have read/want to read and you can submit holds online. It’s like an online bookstore but free!
I fix things instead of throwing out and buying new. This has been a weird month with lots of things breaking. So far I have put a new timer in the wash machine (40 yrs old) and diagnosed and ordered a new relay for the coffee maker (~3 yrs old). I repaired the florescent back porch light for the second time by replacing the filter cap. So less than $100 in parts instead of about 10X that to throw out and buy new. New washing machines are more efficient, but with less than two people to do laundry for, the payback would be longer than I will live, and the new machines are only designed for about 10 yrs. expected life. If ever I can’t fix it, I hope to get a Staber machine.
I enjoy fixing things, so it saves on entertainment budget as well. Ditto with reading, and trying to learn musical instruments.
My “new” truck is 15 years old, and my old truck is a 1986 model, you do the math. I will soon need to rebuild the engine in the old truck, as the compression is getting low and there is a lot of blow by into the crankcase. Both have been paid off for many years, so I am not making payments. Same with my house…though I only paid the mortgage off two years ago.
The last year and a half plus, though, I have been saving a ton of money by riding my bicycle mostly everywhere. Even buying two new bikes still leaves a huge net savings. I also have lost many pounds without needing a health club membership, and don’t need to take anti-depressants, so that saves on prescriptions and doctor visits.
Since I can’t carry a lot of heavy shit on my bicycle, I stop frequently at the small produce store and buy small quantities of cheap veggies, so there is little waste. I buy mostly what is in season and cheap. Also dried beans, bulk popcorn, etc. are cheap and bicycle friendly. I do have a trailer and a cargo bike, so I also hit Costco once a month.
I cook a lot of old fashioned staples: Cornmeal mush, ham hocks and beans, chicken and dumplings, shepherds pie, etc. These were popular in the past because they were cheap and they still are. Oh, I also make waffles from scratch about once a week. A little cheaper and better than dry mix, and WAY cheaper than batter-in-a-carton. When I do buy prepared convienience food, it is usually from Trader Joe’s…wish we had Aldi here.
I have never had cable, except when staying in a hotel. Can’t imagine wanting that many more channels of bad programming. Mostly my TV stays on PBS, and my radio on NPR. This saves a lot of money because I am not constantly exposed to people telling me about all the neat things I should be buying from them.
I do waste some money eating out.
When I eat out, I drink water, which saves a fair amount of money on the check, and also eventually at the dentist or doctor. Soda is by far the source of calories I miss the least. I never order the combo meal at fast food places…just the main item (usually a promo priced item, or I have a coupon) and water.
We replaced our cable with Netflix. More selection for the kids and only 12.99 a month (streaming plus unblockus to get american).
You have a kid, a SAHP, and no art on the walls? You aren’t doing it right.
I rarely use the air conditioning unless it gets pretty far into the 90s outside, and in the winter I keep the thermostat at 64. It’s not so much out of thriftiness as it is being a little more environmentally conscious.
perfectparanoia:
*ETA: I also no longer pay for books. The local library has a great website where you can track what you have read/want to read and you can submit holds online. It’s like an online bookstore but free! *
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We replaced our cable with Netflix. More selection for the kids and only 12.99 a month (streaming plus unblockus to get american).
I ask only from curiosity: Doesn’t your library have videos and DVDs? Or does Netflix offer something in addition? Convenience?
I’m a big library user too. I figure: I’ve already paid for that stuff. Why buy or rent books and DVDs I’ve already paid for?
The baby is only 10 months!
Well, that explains it!