A couple years ago, I desperately wanted a luxuriously soft, but ridiculously overpriced blanket called a "Lambie." When my older sister asked me if there was anything I wanted for Christmas, I couldn't help but gush about how awesome this blanket was. "It's more than I know we agreed to spend," I told her, "but I got a 40% off coupon in the mail, and if I send that to you, it will be right on budget!" From then on, any Christmas wish lists my sisters and I share with each other come complete with coupons to make sure nobody overpays for their gifts.
You see, some families pass down precious jewelry, while others share secret recipes. In my family, we pass down penny-pinching.
When a member of the family returns from shopping, we never ask, “How much did you spend?” but rather, “How much did you save?” There are a few other things you would be guaranteed to hear if you spent a weekend with my family. They're sort of like our mantras. “Don't pay for something you can do yourself,” “I've got a coupon for that!” and “Never pay retail for anything you don't have to.”
Case in point: This weekend, I threw a baby shower for a good friend. All was going well until my sister and I realized that they were treating the tissue paper from her gifts as trash. Horrifying, I know. As one bag started overflowing, the hostess's husband tied it up and carried it away.This is where you'll begin to understand the full depth of my family's frugal tradition. My sister and I sneakily followed the man with the bag of tissue paper, watched him disappear outside, and then raced to the trash can, where we fished the bag out and rescued it to the safety of my car.
When we got home, we took spoils of our dumpster-diving excursion and proceeded to have a tissue paper folding party. It was a family affair; even the little one joined in. “This is enough tissue paper to last me for years of giving gifts,” my sister proudly proclaimed, as we got done organizing the paper (by color, of course). “You know, I bet this is like a hundred dollars worth of tissue paper. Can you imagine spending that much money on tissue paper?”
No, I can't, because I can't actually ever recall buying tissue paper. (But I do have lots of fond memories of folding and organizing tissue paper after birthday parties and Christmases).
One of the defining characteristics of my childhood was saving money. And to my parents' credit, their thrifty ways afforded us a lot of opportunities for a family of five living on one income of a public servant. When we traveled, we camped out and ate sandwiches out of the ice chest for three weeks at a time. When we went skiing, my father would drive us four hours each way to the resort all in one day, just so we didn't have to pay for a hotel. On the rare but wonderful occasion we got to go to Disneyland, we prepped, planned, and mapped our strategy with the precision of a military tactical team to be sure we maximized every minute the park was open and rode as many rides as humanly possible to get our money's worth out of those tickets.
I got a speeding ticket a couple years back, and as I went to pay the fine, the thing I regretted most was that the courthouse doesn't offer coupons. It was then that I realized just how much I hate paying full price. Saving money has permeated every part of my life and is responsible for some of the things I am most proud of. It allowed my husband and I to get out of college with no debt and to save enough money to put a down payment on our house. It gives us more money to do things we enjoy and more money to give to those in need.For me, getting up at 2:00 a.m. for Black Friday is as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and gravy. Going to the stores the day after Christmas to buy dozens of rolls of wrapping paper at 75% off that will last me the next 12 months is as much fun as opening presents Christmas morning. Hearing my dad talk about getting a good deal or watching Extreme Couponing with my sisters makes me feel as much at home as the smell of my mother’s marinara sauce and the sound of our Italian family’s laughter.
The things I learned about thriftiness are like our family heirlooms. They are lessons for which I am eternally grateful, and they are things I will proudly pass down to my own children.
Judges Comments:
"A great tradition to pass on in a family. I like the little stories. They were fun to read and kept me interested! I understand the tissue paper for sure! :) "
Ericka, from Good Job Momma
"I liked this post because it's one that my family would identify with. My grandparents used to go to auction, buy things on the cheap, and then re-auction them. Simply for the joy of making the most money.
Good post."
Allison, from AllisonDDuncan.com
"After we started having kids, my sister and I decided that, in an effort to not have to stress about one more present, we would just permanently nix each other off of our lists. But... we are suckers, and can't help it. Thus, the annual re-gift was born. We decided that instead of going out and buying something, we would regift something we already had. For a few years, it was one or two things. But now....lol.... it has turned into cramming boxes (yes, more than one) with all the stuff we can find in our house that we don't want anymore. A few years ago, she got TONS of chopsticks from Chinese take-out, some feminine products that I didn't need because I was pregnant, some books, the rice cooker she had given me the year before, and a bunch more....lol. And I am so thrifty that I HATE when people buy me stuff, because the first thing I think of was that I'm sure I could have gotten it cheaper...lol. Thriftiness, and how to be humble, and frugal are great things to pass on to your kids. This was a great post. (Oh... and 2 A.M. for black Friday??? That's weak woman! I pull an all nighter, mapping out the city, and the stores for the best efficiency and then start shopping at midnight! Step up your game! LOL!)"
Heather, from My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream