They are so interesting and weird and random, and I swear I think of about five different ideas for a new one every week. Shame I never seem to follow through on any of them...But perhaps this one will be different, since this is something I have done since I could say the word "clearance" and an idea/belief that has influenced my shopping ever since the days of my weekly dollar allowance.
I was initially going to make a blog about couponing in the Danville, Virginia area, but I decided I'd expand it to saving money on lots of things! My shopping mantra is always "Never pay retail" and while I can't truly own up to the absolute of never, I do try to avoid it as much as possible. I hope my little savings journal will entertain and educate you about ways to save money.
How I learned to save
Growing up, my daddy worked in various warehouses and factories, and my parents agreed that my mother should be a stay at home mom, which she was until I was fifteen and my little brother was eleven. Factory workers do not make a lot of money, so while we always had everything we needed, we didn't have a lot of extra money. We went to McDonalds on Family Night, when Happy Meals were 99 cents. We shopped at Goodwill, and one of my happiest shopping days was finding a pair of Calvin Klein jeans for six dollars. We went to yard sales and thrift stores, and I wore hand-me-downs. We shopped sales and clearance. In fact, I don't believe I wore anything that was purchased at retail price until I was a teenager, and I still don't do it often now. We often had a garden and chickens, and Daddy loved to hunt and fish, so we ate a lot of deer and fish and garden stuff. I remember going to the grocery store with my mother and she would have me add up how much she had spent at the grocery store to make sure she didn't go over her budget.
I don't tell you any of that because I feel sorry for myself or my family. I and my brother had a wonderful childhood with everything we needed, and many things we wanted. I don't think we were "deprived" because we were playing with an Atari when everyone else had the new Playstation. We played and had fun together and as a family, and were so very blessed in many ways.
Unfortunately, people in our country, and throughout the world, are so focused on money. There are people who would be embarrassed to shop with coupons, buy clothes at Walmart, or even walk into a Goodwill. For many, their possessions or money defines them as a person, and not being able to buy expensive things at retail is a shame to them.
Personally, I think there is nothing wrong with being a smart shopper and saver. In fact, in our current economy, it seems silly and even dangerous to spend money...haphazardly. I enjoy having nice things as well, certainly, but there is no shame or disgrace in getting items cheaper in ethical and legal ways.
So, if you are embarassed to use coupons or used items, this may not be the blog for you. And that's okay. The great thing about blogs is that they are so plentiful and diverse, so you can move along and find one called Always Pay Retail and Go Broke (just kidding).
Anything that comes to mind; isn't that the beauty of blogging? Mostly, about coupon deals in the area. I follow several great blogs, one of which is based in Virginia, but I haven't found one that's for our specific area. Different areas have different grocery stores. For example, Farmer's Foods is actually a good place to shop and save because they double coupons up to a dollar, which Walmart and Food Lion do not. The closest Kroger is in Martinsville, and we don't have a Harris Teeter or Winn Dixie (I am sad about the Harris Teeter; they had triple coupons recently). So, I'll teach you how to use coupons, since I am teaching myself and trying it out.
But I also like to save money on...everything else. So you can expect to see posts with deals I find in local stores, links to good websites or blogs, or tips on how to save money on things like magazine subscriptions (in fact, that may be tomorrow's post).
With any luck, this will be the first of many posts. My last blog, Thirty Days of June, has been sadly neglected, but hopefully I can get that going as well. :) Since I have started couponing, I have started meal planning as well, and that is certainly a June-worthy activity.
Alright, I am off to finish making dinner. Tonight we are having deer tenderloin (free, courtesy of my father), baked potatoes, and steamed broccoli (purchased with a coupon)!
Good night, and happy saving!
No comments:
Post a Comment