Splurge vs Save Meme

Last meme for a bit!

S'mee has tagged me for the splurge vs save meme. I will try to see if there are ten things of either I do.

Splurge, hmmmm. Splurge. That's a tough one. I don't splurge a lot. Being the oldest daughter in a poor family, compromise was the word of the day. If I splurge it is usually for the family rather than for me. The only splurge that directly affect me is chocolate. I am a sucker for good chocolate. And yes, I do splurge on it. I have a couple of neat sons-in-law that enjoy the chocolate bug and help me indulge as needed. One specifically goes out of his way to introduce me to the newest and best varieties.

My husband and daughters are better at indulging me than I am. They are the people who "splurge" for me. Such as books I want, my camera and software I use are all courtesy of loving people around me.

If there are other splurges, they would come in the "save" kind of splurge. I splurge on time when looking for savings. It is goofy, but I spend more time looking for "best buys" than I save I am sure.

I saved money when I purchased my car. In California you pay a 2.5 to 5% premium for the pleasure of purchasing my car from a dealer here. I found a dealer in another state, specifically Mini of Manhattan that would sell me the car of my choice without a premium. I researched and found out that shipping it by train to CA would still save me about $1800. Guess who I bought the car from? Mini of Manhattan.

I shop sales, in fact for years I have always said I don't want a lot of money, just enough to take advantage of a sale. That way I feel much better about spending money. So if I see something I know I'll use over time, I'll buy multiples.

I use the internet for most shopping of large ticket items. The internet gives you leverage when negotiating for price. I never shop auction sites, as I believe the prices can be falsely driven up by unscrupulous vendors by way of shills working for them or shipping charges.

Another thing I do is shop shipping rates. It is very important to me to save money on common items. If I can save money online I factor in shipping rates, and then make the decision to buy. Just because it is cheaper in price doesn't always mean you're saving money. You need to factor in shipping, maintenance and overall satisfaction prior to leaving a local vendor in the dust. Price is not always the defining factor is what I am trying to say.

Value. I love value. If I can find something used, in good repair, that is as good as new sometimes. New isn't always better. A good used pre-1986 kitchen-aid mixer is a find! Why? Because in 1986 Whirlpool bought Kitchen-Aid and built in obsolescence. They changed the inside of the mixer to fail sooner. Aaaack!

Those are some of the ways I save. I love to make my own everything. Scrubs from sugar and kosher salts. Grow my own lavender for scented linen sprays and sachets. Detail my own car. And all sorts of other stuff like that!