Interesting Ways to Save Money – Part 1

(This is the beginning of a series of posts I’m going to be making regarding my “thriftiness”. I’m not sure how many parts it will eventually have, but it should go on for a bit. These won’t be really suggestions for living frugally, but rather examples of some of the silly things I’ve done personally in my life to save money.)

Throughout my life I’ve been a bit of a cheapskate. Call it frugal or thrifty or whatever, I’ve had a hard time parting with money for quite a while. I’m not really a crazy miser or anything. I don’t bury jars of cash in the backyard or eat moldy bread, but to most of the people in my circle of friends and family, I’m a little obsessive about where and when I’ll spend money. I know from reading elsewhere that this kind of behavior can be really irksome to some folks. They think it’s a waste of time focusing on all of these little things…time better spend enjoying life or whatever.

To these critics, however, I say it’s not really much time at all and it’s certainly not a waste. I don’t spend a lot of time going out of my way to save money: it’s simply a way of life for me. Most of the decisions I make are based on some sort of financial aspect. I see the price tag first in most any situation, and I usually act accordingly.

Ultimately, I’m always trying to avoid the nickel and dime stuff so many of us spend our money on. I’m not averse to spending money so much, it’s just all the wasteful little things that, over time, really add up. By eliminating the insignificant small stuff, I’ve been able to save up for the bigger things in my life that give me more pleasure and joy.

To wit…when I was in high school oh so many moons ago I decided I was going to save up for a car. In order to accomplish this I needed a job, of course. That I go washing dishes at a local Chinese restaurant…a perk of which was free dinners and lunches whenever I worked. (to be continued)