Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Tightwad I am not?

So my cousin prides herself on being cheap. My mother and her (God bless them both) are like soul sisters divided at birth. We all (that would be the one side of the family) say it and agree with one another about these things! 

But before I get too high and mighty, there are significant signs that I am probably from the same gene pool even if sometimes they seem a bit weaker:

  • At a family event last weekend complete with cousins and cutie patootie kids, my cousin was telling her sister-in-law about a great kids' consignment store and I offered my services to go to this store so close to my house to keep my eyes peeled for them on the clearance rack. I do not have children or anything resembling them in my house but I willingly offer to shop for other children (who happen to be the cutest in the whole wide world) so their mamas can save money.
  • I was going to purchase a card for a coworker that is leaving because of cutbacks and I must admit that the final decision between two cards that would work was the dollar's difference. What are those card companies doing? Lining the envelopes with gold?
  • I am leaving my house fifteen minutes earlier on Friday and Saturday so I can carpool with coworkers... Did I mention that we are talking about pre-6:30ish hours? Those 15 minutes count! And yet, think of the gas (and environmental footprint) I'll save one coworker and the other one will save me... as well as the agency for a lack of claimed mileage.
  • I am the biggest skype fan ever... I tell all sorts of people about it. Free computer-to-computer calling (with ability to see your friends that have a webcam) and cheap, cheap, cheap computer to long distance phone calling. I was a fan WAY before Oprah (not that I watch her... but I read it on the internet and everything on the internet is true, right?)
  • The most insulting of all... I was making mini chocolate chip cheesecakes tonight and they got dumped on the cupboard. Obviously not good enough to take to a party but good enough to scrap up and put back in their wrappers for a frozen albeit not so beautiful snack... yes, all you swine flu phobics, the counter was spotless and very much wiped down before I pulled these delights out of the oven. All the while saying out loud in a definite teacher voice, "no, no, no."
So... I guess that I need to recession proof myself more and more but I might be already on the right track.

3 comments:

happygeek said...

Buy your cards at Dollarama. All for one dollar.
It's like happiness in the card aisle.
I'd save the cheese cakes even if they landed on the floor.
BUt you really are coming along nicely.

Bargainista said...

I am SO proud of you!!! and you should be proud of yourself.
Love to share about the spring jackets that i discovered last wk. they were (new, not in a consignment store), for $2 each. Your sister debated about spending that on a jacket she will probably only wear for 2 mos. "That's not even the price of a Moon Tooney coffee, or whatever it's called!"
And i am riding my bike to work these days. Are you proud of your old mom?

granola_granny said...

You are the best, helping out those busy mama cousins!!! And as to that bike riding mama.... I'M proud of your Mama!!! Say did you know that the cousin getting married in the fall bought a scooter?