Category Archives: Smart shopping

Bargains and Values

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Every once in a while I think it is important to look back at topics I have covered in the past.  And one of the more important lessons I think everyone should learn is the difference between a bargain and a value.  A bargain is something that you purchase for a great price.  A value, however, is something that is well worth the price you pay.

For example, I have two pairs of brown cowboy boots.  The first pair I purchased many years ago for a low price of $15.  It was a great bargain.  Except they weren’t that comfortable.  And the soles were pretty slippery.  I probably only wore them three times before they were relegated to a shelf in my closet that I can’t reach without a stepstool, where they continue to collect dust.  The second pair of cowboy boots I bought at a shop in Nashville when I was there for a conference.  It was the ultimate splurge.  I paid $130.  I don’t think I’ve ever paid that much for any other pair of shoes in my life.  But they were super comfortable.  I wore them over and over and over again.  With dresses.  With shorts.  With jeans.  I wore them so much that I actually wore them out.  And then I purchased an identical pair (at a lower price) online so I could keep wearing the boots I love so much.  When you calculate it out to the cost per wear (even including the cost of the replacement pair), it probably comes out to one dollar per wear or less.  I’ve lost track of how many times I have worn those boots over the years.  But they have easily paid for themselves many times over.  Those boots were an amazing value (and will continue to be until I wear them out again).

Knowing the difference between a bargain and a value goes a long way toward keeping your purchases smart.  A bargain price can be very tempting.  But you should always ask yourself a few questions before you make a purchase, even at a bargain price.  Do you need it?  Will you use it?  How many ways will you use it?  How long do you expect it to be useful?  No matter how low the price, if your purchase isn’t something that you can and will use, it’s not worth buying.  My cheap cowboy boots are just clutter that I keep telling myself I need to donate.  They are not useful to me.  My expensive cowboy boots have been a go-to in my closet for ten years.

Next time you are tempted to buy something because the price is amazing, give it another thought.  Is it just a bargain?  Or is it a value?

PA Mini-Market Loyalty

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Every once in a while I have to remind myself how lucky I am to live in Pennsylvania.  Sure…we’ve got beautiful scenery and competitive sports teams.  But more importantly, we have the battle of Sheetz versus Wawa.  The south has Buc-ees.  Wisconsin has Kwik Trip.  And I love both of those.  But when it comes down to it, I swear by the Pennsylvania-based mini-markets. The Philadelphians and other eastern Pennsylvanians (and New Jersey folks) are committed to Wawa.  But despite the fact that my mother grew up in suburban Philly and I went to Wawa many times before I even knew Sheetz existed, I am a Sheetz girl through and through.  Maybe it’s the fact that the company is based just down the highway in Altoona.  Maybe it’s nostalgia for the giant fountain beverage that used to come in a cup labeled “The Big Pig.”  Maybe it’s the convenience of the many locations down the east coast and into the Midwest. Maybe it’s because it’s the first place that I used a store-branded refillable coffee mug to get my caffeine when I entered adulthood.  It could be any or all of these things.

There are three different Sheetz stores within walking distance of my house.  And I frequent all of them with some regularity.  The obvious reason is that it’s a convenient place to get gas for my car. And with the stacked benefits of the My Sheetz loyalty card and my Sheetz branded credit card, I get instant savings of eight cents per gallon on gas.  And as I buy food and other things inside the mini-market, that earns me reward points that I can use to further reduce the price of gasoline.

When I take a road trip, I tend to move from Sheetz to Sheetz along my journey.  There are only a few layouts of the stores, so I’m always in familiar surroundings no matter where I am.  There is always a convenient rest room, a cold drink or hot coffee, and a quick meal or snack available.  And they are open 24/7, so I can always count on them to be there when I need something. A newspaper and an adult beverage to close out Thanksgiving day?  Sheetz had my back.  When I get too far from the familiar red canopy, it always makes me a bit nervous and uncomfortable…like I’m missing a friend.  I always feel better on a return trip when I know I am back in Sheetz country.

I also do a lot of my banking at Sheetz.  My credit union does not have any local branches.  So when I need actual cash, I need an ATM.  Sheetz has exactly the ATM I need.  Every Sheetz has an ATM that does not charge fees.  And my credit union also does not charge fees.  So Sheetz is my bank whenever I need a little cold, hard cash.

I know there are a lot of Wawa lovers among my readers.  But Sheetz saves me money on a regular basis.  Regardless of your loyalty, one thing is certain.  We are very fortunate to be blessed with great mini-market chains in Pennsylvania!

Hop on the Bus

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I was listening to a podcast this weekend and heard an analogy that I thought was great.  The host said that politics is like a bus.  It’s likely that one candidate will not align with every single stance you take on every single issue.  The perfect candidate (which could likely only be yourself) would be an Uber.  It drops you right where you want to be.  But without the option of an Uber, you hop onto the bus that gets you closest to your desired destination.

I’m not going to talk about politics.  But I do think that most things in this world are more like a bus than an Uber.  Especially shopping.  Shopping for absolutely anything.  Big ticket items are kind of obvious.  When you are buying a house, you may have to sacrifice on some of your wish list (perhaps location or price) in order to gain something else on your wish list (perhaps a fireplace and a garage).  The likelihood of getting everything you want at the price you can manage is not great.  The same thing probably happened when you were choosing your law school.  Maybe the greatest professor you wanted to learn from was at a school where you didn’t love the rest of the curriculum, so you got on the bus that got you closest to where you wanted to be.  It’s less obvious in smaller purchases.  Perhaps the tomatoes you like best at your local grocery store are too expensive or come in too small a package.  You may have to pay more, sacrifice quality, or buy multiple packages to get closest to where you want to be.

Life is a never-ending series of bus rides (sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally).  You almost never find that unicorn Uber that takes you to the exact place you want to be. You’ll make sacrifices in one area to make gains in another.  But that bus ride will teach you so many things along the way, and make you truly appreciate how close you are getting to your goal destination.

Life is like a bus.  Enjoy the ride!

That Time I Fell for a Scam…

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I made a really stupid mistake just before Christmas.  I pride myself on knowing enough not to fall into financial traps.  And I did exactly that.

I was doom scrolling through social media and came across an ad offering me a too good to be true deal on an electric fireplace/entertainment center.  I wanted it to be real.  It looked real.  So I clicked.  It took me to a web site that looked just like Big Lots.  But it was BigLotsSale.com.  Not Big Lots.  I was convinced it was real.  I really wanted that fireplace. So I jumped.  I put in my info and my credit card and I was off.  I received a confirmation email, so I was sure this was for real.  A day or two later I received an email confirming the shipping.  It was real!  It had to be real!

After a few more days. I went back to the shipping email to click the tracking number and find out when my amazing fireplace would arrive.  And that’s when I figured it out.  The tracking number didn’t lead to anywhere.  I started searching the shipping company and discovered it was fake.  Crap!  I had been duped.  A subsequent search on BigLotsSale led me to discover that this is a very common, yet very well done, scam.  Reddit helped me find all of the painful information.

My first action after discovering my mistake was to lock my credit card.  Then I looked at the charges on my card and found one that I had not made.  I called my credit union and they removed the charge I didn’t make right away.  They canceled my card for me and walked me through the process to dispute the charge that I did make on the fake web site.  Then came the fun of moving all of my automatically billed things to a different card.  Automation is great….until it isn’t.  Then I went out to the three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) and put freezes on my account, so the scammers would not be able to open new credit in my name.

I’m actually very lucky.  There is no significant damage caused by my error.  My only potential loss is the $50 charge I made trying to buy the fireplace.  And I may eventually get that back as well.  And I learned a very valuable lesson about buying things through an ad on social media.  I don’t recommend doing it without first researching the “merchant.”  But I also learned how easy it is for people to fall victim to a scam.  I’m very educated in this area and still fell for it.  How easy would it be for someone who doesn’t  focus their life around financial education to make this mistake and have it turn out so much worse?

I’m trying not to beat myself up over this.  It’s done.  I learned something. Everything turned out ok.  This was a very impressive, sophisticated scam.  I’m not a financial idiot…just someone who really wanted an amazing deal on something I really desired.  Technology is scary.  The scammers knew from my online history what would make me jump.  And I definitely won’t be making that mistake again.  A mistake is only a problem if you don’t learn something from it.  And I definitely learned a valuable lesson about shopping from social media ads.

If you have ever fallen for a scam, don’t take it as a personal failure.  It’s not.  It’s an opportunity to move forward with better knowledge than you had before.

Be careful out there.  The internet is a scary place!

 

Repair or Replace?

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My Subaru is in the shop.  My beloved 2012 Outback with 107,000 miles on it.  I took it in Friday for a scheduled service (a major service, which was already going to come with a four digit repair bill), and they discovered a few more things on the verge of failure.  It’s going to be expensive.  Expensive enough that it made me think about whether it was worth fixing, or if it would make more sense to replace the car.

Ultimately, I decided to make the repairs, despite the price tag.  My Subaru is paid off.  And while a nice new car sounds appealing to my senses, it is not appealing to my wallet, especially with car loan interest rates looming around 7% or higher.  And even to replace my Subaru with a car of equivalent age and mileage would cost more than twice the cost of the repair.  Although I originally bought the Subaru used, I know it has been well taken care of for at least the last six years.  The tires on it will be good for a couple more years.  It’s already set up with a trailer hitch and wiring to be able to tow my little camper.  So I’ll have a big outlay of cash for the big repairs now, but then my car should be good to go for another 100,000 miles.  Or at least until I retire and my needs change.  If I were to buy a new car now, it likely wouldn’t even be paid off before I retire.

A really huge car repair bill can give you pause.  Especially when it’s an older car with a lot of miles.  It would have been easy for me to walk away and start searching for a replacement.  But the reality is that my old Subaru is of more value to me than it is to anyone else.  And for about a year’s worth of car payments (or hopefully less), my old Subie will be ready to roll for a lot longer.

Would you repair or replace?

 

How to Have Anything You Want

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I go to a lot of music festivals and concerts.  Particularly bluegrass music.  That’s really my thing.  Everybody has their thing.  It seems like I’m spending a lot of money on live music.  And I am.  But that’s because live music is a priority for me.  I’ve made tradeoffs in other areas of life to make room in the budget for the thing that is important to me.  I live in a very small house.  I buy most of my clothes secondhand.  My “newer” car is 12 years old.  I buy store brands at the grocery store.  I’ve never been to Europe.  I don’t spend much money on beauty products or self-care rituals.  These are the things that are not a very high priority for me.  I have what I need.  I don’t need new or fancy or high end.  I DO need live music for my life to be satisfying and happy.

Every financial decision comes with a trade-off.  Your home may have the space you like and the location you like, but come with a roommate you didn’t initially want.  Your food may be delicious and nutritious, but you may be substituting cheaper proteins for more expensive options.  You may have chosen a less expensive college than your dream school, or you may have taken on student loan debt in order to afford your dream school.

Adulthood is full of decisions.  Some decisions are big.  Others are small.  But every decision comes with a tradeoff of some sort.  Every single thing you spend money on makes it so you can’t spend that money on something else.  I’m sure there are wealthy folks who can spend freely on absolutely anything without thinking about it, but even those folks are making the decision not to invest those funds or donate them to charity.

The next time you face a financial decision (which could be anything from selecting a box of pasta at the grocery store to deciding which job to accept), remember this:  You can have anything you want.  You just can’t have everything you want.

 

The Cost of Convenience

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I’ve had very little control over anything in my life this semester.  Between illness, injury, and family issues, my life outside work has been less than ideal.  My time has been more overextended than I would like.

I’m not normally someone willing to pay extra for conveniences, but this semester has been an exception to that rule. When I had Covid-19 at the start of January I signed up for a free trial of a grocery delivery service.  It was exactly what I needed to get some food into the house without having to go out and share my germs with the world.  When I injured my leg later that same month and started hobbling around on crutches, I made the decision not to cancel that service.  By the time I felt physically able to resume grocery shopping, my time at home was suddenly very limited as I needed to spend a huge amount of time caring for my parents.  I’ve finally got my family situation to a comfortable place again, but next week I’m going to have surgery to correct the knee injury that put me on crutches back in January.  I’m just not willing to let go of my grocery delivery service yet.

Between the subscription for the delivery service and driver tips, I’m certain that I have spent at least a couple hundred dollars more on my groceries than I would have had I gone to pick them up myself. (And I’m using what I believe is the least expensive home delivery option.)  That extra money has been worth it to me due to my circumstances.  But this is not something that will be worth it to me for the long haul.  I’m pretty sure that I’ll be pushing a cart around the grocery aisles again come June.  My crazed life should have returned to a normal pace, and my knee should be recovered by then.  I definitely love the convenience of having my groceries dropped at my front door.  But I think about the extra money I’ve been spending, and I’d much rather be spending that money on different things—like concert tickets, music festivals, and camping adventures.

The price of convenience can be worth it from time to time (so don’t beat yourself up for ordering takeout while you are studying for exams).  But if you are paying for convenience on a regular basis, you have to take a moment to weigh out whether that extra money is really worth it to you.

A Day in the Life of a Cheapskate

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I spent the weekend living like a cheapskate.  I didn’t try to.  I just kind of lived my weekend life as I normally do, and it turns out my brain kind of defaults to less expensive choices.

The highlight of fall weekends for me is watching Penn State football games on TV.  But I don’t have cable.  I do have an assortment of streaming services, but none of them were carrying this week’s game.  I usually subscribe to one of the “watch live TV” services at some point during the football season (and carry it through bowl games), but I was trying to put it off as long as I can.  I won’t be home for next week’s game, so if I could find a way to watch this week’s for free I would be good until mid-October.  So I signed up for a one week free trial for one of the services I’m not planning to use for the full season, but had the Penn State game.  The next day I canceled the service so I wouldn’t be charged.  I feel a little bad for taking advantage of the service like that….but not that bad.  I usually do this once a year, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

For dinner on Saturday I was thinking about getting a slab of barbeque ribs from the warehouse club.  But the $18 price tag made me rethink that.  I also thought about ordering a pizza.  But ultimately I pulled out my Instant Pot and made a pot of soup.  It was a lot cheaper than the other two options.  And likely better for me.  And we have leftovers.

I also needed to buy some jeans this weekend.  Apparently the Covid-19 pounds that I gained have morphed into the Covid 29, and now my pants don’t fit.  But I like the jeans I have.  I just need the next size up (until I can get myself back on the treadmill to get my weight under control).  Rather than buy new, I went to my favorite resale site, Poshmark.  I found a bundle of three pair in my new (hopefully temporary) size for a good price, so I bought it.  I like buying used clothes.  It’s less expensive to buy better quality that way.  And it’s better for the environment to reuse like that.  So much fast fashion ends up in the world’s landfills, so I just feel better about reusing an item somebody didn’t want anymore.

I guess I have the mindset of a cheapskate.  And I’m fine with that.  I can dress it up and say that I’m “choosing a frugal lifestyle” or something like that, but the reality is I’m pretty cheap in regular life.  And I’m pretty sure that’s a good way to be for this era of super high inflation.  If my default is to keep costs low, that makes it a lot easier to get to the next paycheck.

Do you default to the less expensive options?  Should you?

Counting the Discounts

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I celebrated my birthday last week.  It was a big one for me.  It seems that my current age is the age at which many places start offering senior discounts.  I certainly don’t feel like a senior citizen, but I am all about taking advantage of discounts!  For the last few years, whenever I shopped at one of my favorite resale shops (the local Goodwill), they have asked me at checkout if I qualify for any of their discounts (student/veteran/senior) and I’ve said no.  Next time I can say yes and claim my extra percentage off.  And next time I frequent a fast food restaurant, I will be asking about their senior discounts.  Often when I’ve lunched with my parents at their favorite burger place I have watched them order their free senior drinks while I had to pay.  Next time…bring on the senior drink!

So why am I waxing poetic about senior discounts to a bunch of students?  Because student discounts are abundant as well!  By nature of being a student you can qualify for discounts on computers and software, cell phone service, movie theaters, clothing retailers, Amazon Prime, and an assortment of other things.  Additionally, you can access major newspapers for free through Penn State’s Student News Readership Program.  If you are unaware of student discounts, it never hurts to ask!  Ask at the register.  Ask Google in advance.  But ASK!

Discounts are often there for the taking as long as you know about them.  In addition to my newly acquired senior discount, I’ve long enjoyed discounts that come with my AAA membership and (for a shorter time) my AARP membership, as well as the ongoing discounts tied to rewards cards at Panera and Sheetz.

Are you taking advantage of the discounts that are available to you?  If not, you should probably start!

Combating Black Friday Ads

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It seems like as soon as Halloween is done, the Black Friday sale ads start in full force.  December holiday music starts following me around any store I enter, and it makes me want to buy things.  It’s on the TV.  It’s on my social media feed.  It’s in my mailbox and my email.  I see the ads and think, “Oh….I’d love to have that!  And my husband would like one of those.”  It’s a dangerous time of year.

This year in particular I’m trying to keep my holiday spending to a minimum.  I know from the news reports that my winter heating bills are going to be higher than last year, and prices at the grocery store and the gas pump are spiraling upward.  That doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for things I don’t need.

Need is the key word here.  When I think I want to take advantage of those Black Friday deals, I first ask myself, “Do I need it?”  In most cases the answer to that question is no.  That makes it a “want” rather than a “need.”  Then I ask myself, “Do I already have something else that fills that purpose?”  Often the answer to that is yes.  And that’s usually enough to end my internal battle.  If it is something I don’t need, and I already have something that does the job ok, there is no reason to buy something new.  At this point in my life I don’t need a lot of frivolity.  I’m not a “fragrance and jewelry” kind of girl.  I wear the same silver hoop earrings and stainless steel wedding band every day, and my favorite fragrance is Dove soap (followed closely by the scent of campfire smoke).  Wanting something just to have it is really not my style.

Would it be cool to have a new smartwatch?  Sure!  But my old Fitbit still does the trick.  Would a new smartphone be awesome?  Of course….but my old one is still going strong.  The wish that almost sucked me in was wireless earbuds.  I felt weak…and I even added the ones that match my smartphone brand to my online cart.  And I actually needed something to replace my Bluetooth earpiece that disappeared several weeks ago (because my aging cars don’t have Bluetooth connections for talking on the phone in the car).  But then I found a cheap knockoff set of earbuds for $25 and bought them instead…and they’re working great.

Advertisements are strong this time of year.  We are pummeled with “BUY NOW!!!!” from every turn.  Unless you are immune to this kind of pressure, it’s important to have a plan to combat it.  For me it’s the pause to ask myself the questions of whether it’s needed.  Sometimes it’s placing it into my online cart and letting it sit there while I ponder the necessity.  If it survives both of these tests, sometimes I will actually buy something…but I’ll be certain that it was a purchase that makes sense.

How do you combat the Black Friday ads?  Are you able to tune it out?  What is your plan to make sure you don’t make unnecessary purchases this time of year?