Over the years I have gotten used to my friends calling me cheap. I simply remind them that I am thrifty and that I do not live with my parents. Following this comment is usually some snort, but not much of a comment. Don’t get me wrong- I would love to live with my parents. They are cool and everything they have is paid for…nothing like stress free comfort!
Over the years my friends have also gotten used to my gifts. They are…different; but they are only as different as I am willing to admit to them! Yes, Santa is better to my friends each year than Santa has been to me. I recall opening a gift one year from a boyfriend while disappointment surrounded me. It was cheap. Cheap. Cheaper than me! And he had the nerve to say, “I paid a lot of money for that!” Well folks, it is not the money that you spend, or where you purchase it. It is the deal you get. The finished product. You know, the gift. The gift that you are giving. Isn’t that what this is all about?
An 11 year old’s birthday has just passed in our house, and even though we went over on the budgeted amount, we still spent about 30% of what we would have had we not been thrifty. We actually did pay full price for a gift, an MP3 player, so in this case, shop quality products. Unfortunately this situation of paying full price was the result of a father hee-hawing around until the last minute and then suddenly wanting a really stellar gift. For the amount paid though, it was a great starter, and still under $45 after Uncle Sam took his cut.
In addition, he received a brand new coat for our 40 below zero weather. Original price was $70…for a kids’ coat! I don’t know who buys these things, but wow- that is a lot of money for a coat that will be unrecognizable by spring. I found a special of half price if purchased on a certain-day-by-a-certain-time which dropped that price to $35. On top of this I begged my sister to utilize her credit card for an additional 30% off, and in addition, because of the time we were there, an additional 10% came off of the coat. Final price: $22. That’s cheaper than Wal-mart! Give yourself plenty of time to shop around and compare pricing and specials… and begging relatives to use their coupons on your stuff doesn’t hurt.
I also believe in books and reading. Books, books, books. While visiting a garage sale this summer I found 2 books that looked brand new; one was full of inventions of this century, and the other was about cars of this century. Each one was 25 cents. Stocking stuffers present themselves in a variety of ways, and books are one of them. These books would have been at least $3 each if purchased in a store, and that is a conservative number. Another fantastic garage sale find was a watch. A cool, colorful- without-being- kiddish watch without a scratch on it. Not a scratch! Purchased for a buck. You heard me, a buck. When it is lost, will it matter too much? Nope. It looks new, except for the missing instructions, but come on- he’s a kid. Did you read the instructions when you were a kid? Exactly.
The next birthday, today, is a female; in fact, a brand new teenager. At a different garage sale on the same day, I found a completely unused pair of Sketchers. Completely unused, as in not worn. I paid $5 for these shoes, and they are new. Now you do take a risk on the person not liking the item- and they cannot return it, and that is another reason to keep the purchasing price you pay very low. So low that you think, “Wow- I cannot believe this price! Even if Sally doesn’t like them, (insert name here) can use them!” Also purchased for 50 cents were two small picture frames with beautiful colors on them, luckily matching her room. Belts were also a great deal that day, I was able to find about 3 of them for, yes you guessed it, 50 cents each. They also look brand new.
Many more gift ideas will be coming up; please check back. Thanks for your visit!
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