Disconnecting the "Saving" Response

[Chicken lady]

This is really timely for me.

I just did a pottery fair. I have no way to really account or the clay and glaze I already had on hand, and I have not metered the electricity. Nor did i factor in the cost of kiln, brushes, tools, etc already in my posession. So my "expenses" include only materials bought after deciding to do craft fairs. After subtracting my expenses, I made around $80. I have a lot of pottery left on hand for future fairs. I also have barrette backs, pins, ornament hangers, screw eyes, clay and glaze. I made a rule for myself that I would bank 1/2 my "profit" and use the other half as operating money.

Then I got an e-mail that glaze is 25% off this weekend. 25%! That's a good deal!

Except I don't *need* glaze right now. What I need is a different type of clay that will improve my sucess rate (less breakage) with a particular type of pot that sold. The clay is $20. Which leaves me $20 to bank against future needs, not spend on two jars of cool glaze. I have glaze.

And yet, I just want to go buy a whole bunch now while it's "cheap". (because there will never be another sale on glaze? Because I will run out?). Because it's ON SALE!

[pinkytoe]

You can buy wine in movie theatres??

We have a chain of movie theaters that started here called Alamo Drafthouse. They serve snacks or meals and adult beverages. Every other row of seats is replaced with a table so you can dine while watching the show. They have theme nights so the food matches the film. DD once took me to a Mother's Day special there that featured The Sound of Music served with some very good chef-prepared German food. I am rarely enticed by specials unless something like a BOGO to a restaurant we normally go to. Margarita night at a Mexican place close by sometimes grabs our attention too after a long day.

[SteveinMN]

When I quit looking at the Target ad in the newspaper every week to see what was on sale, I started saving money at Target. Now I only buy what we need that I either cannot buy elsewhere or don't think I can buy at a better price without researching ads for a couple of weeks and making special trips. I make maybe 4-6 Target runs a year, not 2-3 trips a month. We don't have months of stockpiles of stuff. I'm not tempted by the closeouts on the end-caps. Or the NEW! product I walked past. Simpler, for me.

It is hard to disconnect the "Save" response. But I'm a big fan of the concept of "Total Cost of Operation". Buying that drum of maple syrup at Costco may save a bundle over buying it in small glass bottles at the supermarket. But I have to have a place to keep it safely and I have to have a way to get it into smaller containers for use. Then there's the idea that I'll have to go out of my way to use it. I mean, I like maple syrup, but ... Ditto for storing anything else with a shelf life or anything else I remember decluttering some time later. Just isn't worth it to me to get on the wheel again. Not to say I never pass by a bargain. But I try to do it only with a short-term use in mind.

[iris lilies]

Wait a minute. You can buy wine in movie theatres??

Yep. And beer.

And one of the thaters even has a full bar. These are not the new style ones with the table service, they are just regular movie theaters.

When the Sex and the City film came out a few years ago one of the theaters sold Cosmopolitans in an appropriate stem; you returned the glass when you were done.

I what they will serve whe the Absolutely Fabulous film comes out?

[iris lilies]

You people who always have to have sales and discounts are the ones who ruined the JC Penney experiment of no sales ever, just regular low prices. I like Penneys and I like that philosophy.

I curse you all.

[Chicken lady]

Iris lilies, I like Penneys, and I liked the philosophy, but for me, my local Penneys was non- competitive under it. For example - Penney's dress shirts. Dh buys 6 a year when they go on sale. The "regular low price" had him shopping at the mall. It was just a little too high. I guess this means that someone is paying full price for stuff to subsidize my Penneys buying so they don't go out of business. Or perhaps Penneys just priced their shirts a little too high.

I am seeing the store where I consign face a similar buisiness plan issue - I know I would sell more work if the prices were lower, but the store owner insists on the right to put my work on sale and hand out coupons and take that out of the part we split. Then she takes 30% commission. So my prices are high and stuff doesn't move. If she took 25% and didn't ever mark my stuff down, we'd both make more money. But I would be working more hours at this and she would be working a few more minutes ringing up sales and putting out new items.

[catherine]

I've thought about this with respect to getting an airline miles credit card. Somehow, I figure I would spend more trying to get the points than I would just buying the tickets.

Very, very true. They don't offer miles for nothing. Dave Ramsey says that if you ask a hundred wealthy people none of them will say they got rich off points from credit cards. Right now I'm in a mad dash to earn Elite Qualifying Miles because I'm short just 173 points to get to the next status level (which doubles my reward travel points, gives me quicker upgrades, etc.). I have one credit card that offers me 1,000 points for every $5,000 spent on this credit card. So I'm paying all my bills on this credit card to get that 1000 points. I KNOW that's REALLY risky business, but I just hate losing out on better airline status for a measly 173 miles. Typically I don't use my credit cards for non-business related stuff.

I'm not real sensitive to deals--I like getting a bargain, but I, too, feel that they are somehow built into the price so they're not really deals. I figure, I'll do without on most stuff, so when I want something, I'll do the best I can price-wise, but I'm not going to get hooked by a coupon.

Exception: Bed, Bath and Beyond 20% coupons that come on the mail every month. I keep some in my car JUST in case. That's like turning down free money if you don't use those. ETA, actually BB&B coupons are a case where I do believe they up charge everything 20% to make up for the coupons. I typically do MUCH better at Marshall's on home goods. Case in point--we broke our last drinking glass a couple of weeks ago, so I looked at both BB&B and Marshall's. I could have gotten 12 every day glasses at BB&B for $20--less coupon, $16. I wound up getting 12 glasses at Marshall's for $7.99.

Another exception: Our mattress is TERRIBLE. Sleeping on the floor would be more comfortable, but I've been reluctant to spring for a mattress because of my debt. However, Black Friday sales (good from now til the end of the month) are showing 50% off all mattresses--the mattress my DH and I tested, liked, but never bought last year is going for $500, so I'm sorely tempted...

[Ultralight]

I have never had a single credit card point. I don't even know what they are.

[catherine]

I have never had a single credit card point. I don't even know what they are.

That's great. Keep it that way.

My DS has never had a credit card (he's 31). He is moving out of his brother's home after living there for 4 years, and he was worried about not having a credit history for apartment applications, but he was able to qualify for one.

[Ultralight]

That's great. Keep it that way.

My DS has never had a credit card (he's 31). He is moving out of his brother's home after living there for 4 years, and he was worried about not having a credit history for apartment applications, but he was able to qualify for one.

People really get on me about "not having credit!"

But I had enough to buy a car, which I paid off in 18 months (five year loan). I have also gotten apartments numerous times before.

I have been living with family since April 2013 (minus two months somewhere else).