“How come anything you buy will go on sale next week?”
– Erma Bombeck
Gosh, I really miss Erma Bombeck! I could just sit and laugh reading her quotes all day long!
When Dave got sick, it wasn’t in our grand plan. I suspect, quite confidently, it wasn’t in yours either. Nothing unique in that. Like many, over consuming, Americans, who grew up in the 70’s and embarked on her professions in the 80’s, dual income, living large, saving not as well as we should, but doing OK, we were prepared for Dave’s or my death, but we were not prepared for disability or significant healthcare scares! Its humbling to say the least. Dave had embarked on a new job after treading water (though well) for several years after the telecom industry tanked. Now that was SHOCKING! Its was akin to having cardiology surgeons not being needed anymore. Isn’t that a nice thought? Anyway, I was planning to resign my job for the relocation, we had two lovely children in college, and the move. Even though we had a generous relocation package, there are still costs involved. The housing market was bad, so whatever we had garnered in our “home investment” was dwindling by the day. I was extremely lucky. I had a wonderful home, in a wonderful neighborhood, in a wonderful desired little town outside DC. All I needed was a wonderful family who was looking for a “home” and understood that it was to be a rough ride no matter whether they stayed put or moved forward. I found them and they found me and the heavens opened up and the angels sang. They were perfect for my little group on the court, who forgave me for moving because I found my replacement!
But I digress… as usual… anyway, all our calculations, down to the nats ass, were suddenly thrown on their ear when Dave was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. The whirlwind of logistics was breathtaking. You know those movies like “Twister” or “The Wizard of Oz”, where the characters are hanging on with all their strength and houses, cars, cows, and the like are flying all around them? Yeah, it was like that. Money seemed to fly out the window. Large amounts of it. Add to that the economy as a whole, and it was the “Perfect Storm” of potential financial disaster. We have survived and I remind Dave frequently, how proud of him I am for being a good provider. But it isn’t without its angst now and then about how we will manage to fully recover. Being in the 50+ crowd and looking in the not too distant future at retirement. I try not to think about it. But I do, definitely, refrain, from willy nilly, compulsive purchases from everything to lipstick, food, clothes, and my favorite foo foo coffee at the corner coffee shop. The big stuff is easy… no backyard oasis this year. It’s the smaller, seemingly insignificant, things I used to buy without a thought. Now suddenly, I’m struck by how expensive a stupid spice is at the grocery store! I don’t hate it or feel suddenly destitute, I’m just acutely aware of it all in a way I wasn’t really before. I always liked a good deal, and would look for bargains, but not in a deranged or crazed way. I was more thrifty than frugal, not extravagant, but not denying either.
I did wonder though, over the years, how do those people use those “coupons” to pay nothing for their groceries and household items? I could never quite get a handle on it. Over the years I would read things about it, try to understand it, but I just wasn’t really getting it. I had started to figure out that it wasn’t the coupon itself for 50 cents. It had to be tied into the store specials, club specials, rebates, buy one get one free, stuff. But still I wasn’t quite there yet.
I was watching TV the other night, flipping around the 100+ channels of junk, and I noticed a show was on called “Extreme Couponing”. What? What is this? I watched, amazed as people were purchasing thousands of products in a regular grocery store and paying less than $300 dollars. One guy actually was followed on the day that his extreme couponing was having it’s defining moment of glory. Over $6,000 worth of products for $260 and that was mostly because he bought produce and other perishables. His garage housed no cars, just racks and racks of “stash” and enough toilet paper for three years! All tidy and organized by expiration dates. Good grief! Ok, so can I do that on a much smaller, less intense scale?
I started hunting around and found a wonderful little set of videos on couponing from The Frugal Find. She does a delightful job of explaining all the particulars and is quite sensible in how she utilizes this opportunity for savings. (It’s in sections, so bookmark it and watch as you have time.)
In these tough economic times, even without a healthcare issue, the drop in values of our homes, 401K’s, savings, etc., this might be worth taking a look at to see if you can’t make some simple small changes and have a little fun with it. I am a big believer in having fun when you embark on these things. Needless to say, Dave is pretty excited (poor guy) that I’m looking into making a game of it. So I have missed this week’s Sunday papers, but rest assured, I’m going to give it whirl.
“I never leaf through a copy of National Geographic without realizing how lucky we are to live in a society where it is traditional to wear clothes.” – Erma Bombeck
Sorry, couldn’t resist another EB quote.
