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“We lament the grocery-store coupon left at home, and yet we’ll raise our bid for a house by $10,000 without a second thought.”
This was one of Jonathan’s quips that appeared at the top of the blog a few months back. I immediately was reminded of a day spent with my pal Kenny and his wife in Las Vegas, sometime in the early 1990s. Ken and I were seated at a $5 blackjack table when his wife approached, asking Ken for some more money. She had blown through the hundred bucks she brought with her, and needed a $50 cash infusion.
Later, driving home, Ken’s car needed an infusion of gasoline. Ken pulled into a gas station to fill-er-up, and his wife went absolutely bat-do-do crazy because the store across the street had fuel for $.05 less.
I am not immune to such behavior. I will squeeze the last molecule of toothpaste from the tube, while never passing up an opportunity for lunch or dinner with friends.
How about you? Any irrational or contradictory spending decisions in your life?
Every time I open a container of a staple – toothpaste, shave cream, after shave, Advil, laundry detergent, Keurig coffee pod boxes, garbage bags, napkins, dishwasher tablets, etc, I write the date on the side in Magic Marker. I like to have a feel for how long they last. And I find I can stretch many of them without too much effort. For example, I was surprised at first at how quickly I used toothpaste, and by just taking a little less each day could stretch out a tube. But I also found shaving cream lasts quite a long time. I also found that Costco-sized packages really save money. Yet, I spend tons of money at Home Depot on small things I think I need, or want to tinker with. Go figure.
Martin, I resemble your remark! As a regular Costco shopper and a patron of hardware stores, I am in total agreement.
Because my coffee I order online was getting so expensive I decided to date the bags on 1/6 when I opened the first 16oz bag. Just put the last 1/2 of the last bag in the coffee grinder and ordered my next batch. One bag lasts a little more than a month (I only drink one cup/day) and just cost $25/bag. Still a lot cheaper than a coffee shop which I rarely enter.
You are a perfect candidate for home roasting coffee. I’ve been doing it for over 30 years. Fresh single origin coffee from anywhere in the world every day currently at about $8/lb. It’s a simple process. If you can make popcorn, it’s easy.
Google Sweet Marias for beans and roasting info.(you don’t need an expensive roaster)