This Is Me

     So, here is a glimpse into my real life…the real me if you will.  I—AM—CHEAP!  I confess this boldly with confidence and no shame.  I love a good deal and can’t seem to make a purchase unless I can find one.  I find myself saying things like “I would have $10 liked that, but I don’t $15 like it,” or “if that was $5, I would totally buy it, but $10 is just outrageous.”  Don’t get me wrong, I like good quality things; I just don’t like their high prices.  I wonder if I would be different if I was extremely wealthy, or would I just have more cheap things?

     Some of my hardest “cheap” struggles involve clothing, shoes, jewelry, and purses.  I love them all equally, but just can’t bear to spend a lot of money on any of them.  People are always recommending places to shop and saying things like, “their prices are really reasonable,” or, “the prices are really low,” or “this place is totally affordable.”  The problem is that when I get to these places or look at them on-line, I am usually shocked at what people find affordable.  I find five dollars affordable, ten dollars affordable, and sometimes even fifteen or twenty dollars affordable if I really like it; fifty dollars and up seems totally outrageous.  That being said, there are a few items that are exempt from this rule like; cowboy boots, James Avery jewelry, athletic shoes, and wedding rings.  I still struggle with the prices of these items too, I just know that the prices are what they are and my love for them drives me to buy them—occasionally.

     I get such a thrill when I find a good deal.  When someone offers a compliment on something I am wearing or what my children are wearing, I usually can’t stop myself from telling them how little I spent on it.  I am not sure if being cheap is something to brag about, but I find myself doing it from time-to-time.  Part of me is cheap because I am trying to be a good steward of our money, but the other part of me is driven by something totally different.  I pay less for things so I can have more of them.  For example, I would rather have a cheap purse or a watch in every color as opposed to an expensive watch or purse in one neutral color.  Sometimes I think I end up spending the same amount of money, I just have more stuff to show for it.  My thinking is…I like variety, I like to change things up, and if I spend a lot of money on one item I feel like I have to use that item and only that item.  Like my wedding ring, it was expensive, and my husband talks about wanting to get me a new one, but I feel guilty when the one I have is perfectly fine and doesn’t need replacing.  I don’t feel guilty replacing a cheap purse that has been worn out.  I feel like I have gotten my money’s worth out of a $10 purse that I have had for four or five years.  My purses usually last at least that long because I have so many to choose from they don’t get used as often as if I had one good expensive one.

     Being the fall season, this is the time of year I struggle the most.  School has started, the weather is changing, winter is coming, and everyone needs new clothes and shoes.  I try to shop for deals and find myself so frustrated at the prices.  I just can’t bring myself to spend $25-$35 on a pair of shoes for my two-year-old.  She is going to grow out of them even before the season ends and many times they will still look like new.  Even my boys stuff is a struggle because they too are growing, but they are also very hard on things, making it difficult for their clothes to last even until they grow out of them.  I want to be wise with the spending of our money but it seems to be a hard thing to do in this day and age.

     I love resale and consignment for baby girl, and sometimes even me, but by the time kids get to my boys age, 11 and 15, the selection of clothes there is sparse.  I also find that these types of stores are not user friendly if you have a child in a stroller.   They are usually packed in so tight there simply isn’t room for a stroller, but taking little miss sassy pants into a store without a stroller is like signing my own death wish!  I end up feeling stuck and frustrated and still in need of clothes and such for the kids.

     Unfortunately my cheap side did not get passed down to my 15 year old.  When he tells me something is affordable, it gives me heart palpitations.  His idea of inexpensive jeans is $50…I repeat, $50, I mean, really?  I usually let him know how much I am willing to spend on any item and tell him he has to cover the difference with his own money.  This concept works for most things he needs, but unfortunately not all of them.  Have you priced football cleats or athletic shoes lately?  They are outrageous!  His football cleats, for example, will be stinky and gross after the first practice and yet cost me an arm and a leg to purchase.  Plus, he not only needs cleats for practice, but he also needs another pair for games—can you say, money-hemorrhage!  He better sign a NFL contract and pay me back for all of this—I kid, I kid—sort of.

     So, I am off to do some more on-line price comparisons so baby girl will have some clothes to wear this winter.  Perhaps I need to get better at sewing so I can just make her clothes.  Of course, fabric isn’t cheap either.  I tell you, the struggle is real people, the struggle is real.