So... Where to start?
I think I have been very aware of the value of money for most of my life. I grew up in the sort of home where an allowance was something I dreamed about - but more in the way one would dream about a night with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson... fun to think about but I'm probably more likely to walk out of Starbucks and get hit by a bus. It's not that my parents didn't want to spoil me... they just didn't have the means.
I atendended Catholic elementary school where I not only received an excellent education, I was also schooled in the understanding of just how different I was from the daughters of doctors and such. And so, being the strong-willed person that I am, I took matters into my own hands. My first job was at 10 years old. I worked for our next door neighbor who raised show-dogs. I would clean up a 50lb bag of dog poop a week, for the princely sum of $5. It wasn't much, but it allowed me to buy the fancy shampoo my friends were using, and to feel like I could be more like them.
My mom says that she remembers a trip to the grocery store when I was 7 and my little brother was 5. He was whining for some sort of sugar cereal... the kind of thing we didn't eat. Supposedly, I turned to him and said "No David! We just can't afford it." I was well indoctrinated from an early age. And so was my brother... he didn't even put up a fight, he just returned the cereral to the shelf.
I would like to believe that it was this environmental brain-washing that makes me the deal-seeker I am today. I'm not sure though, that this is entirely the case. Although my parents are frugal to this day, I seem to thrive on killer deals, freebies and coupons in a way that borders on obsessive. For me, it's the thrill of the hunt, and I'm a big game hunter :)
And so, I have decided to share what I can with my family, friends, and whoever else may stumble on my ramblings. I will include whatever good deals I can, including grocery, freebies and whatever else I can find. I also enter (and win!) sweepstakes, so I will include links to whatever I think is good. If you find a great deal that I haven't posted, let me know! I would love to include it.
Thanks for your interest, and stay tuned... there is more to come!
Hi Alison, I think what you are doing here is awesome. Everyone needs a little help with finding deals and weeding through all the B.S. offers & things out there.
ReplyDeleteRegarding farmers markets, I would like to add; If you're willing to wait out the crowds, and willing to possibly miss what you want... farmers don't want to bring there produce back to the farm, so... sometimes rock bottom prices for the leftovers at the end of the market are the perfect way to bring home a great value, and experiment with new, or unexpected items.
I worked a few farmers markets back in Connecticut, and I know from experience, that I hated packing stuff back into my truck to take back to the farm at the end of a long hot farmers market selling day.