Jeff Yeager's website
Jeff Yeager and I have a common gripe, you do not need beaucoup in the bank for living and retirement ... IF you are financially aware, efficient, and responsible. And you cannot live like the average American with almost $20k credit card debit (YIKES).
I have a ways to go to reach Jeff's cheapskate status, but I do get a couple points here and there.
I get As and Bs when:
I grocery shop once a week. (Good)
I buy some used items (come on Cathe's "Imax 3" DVD from eBay, Mama wants to step) but I recognize I need to reduce my needs further. (Good, with plenty of room for improvement)
I am gathering pre-qualification paperwork for a future home loan and DO NOT plan to max out that loan. (Good)
But I rate Cs and Ds in some places:
I do not own a crock pot. (Horrible. According to Jeff, 95% of cheapskates own a crockpot).
And I am a tech junkie-lite (I don't buy the first iteration, but I wait until the kinks are gone!)
Therefore, I conclude that I am a bad cheapskate. :(
But even for those of us who do not plan to go whole hog, Jeff has some AWESOME ideas:
One I absolutely love is the boiled omelets in a bag brunch idea, on pg 172.
How I compare to the average cheapskate:
Quality and durability factor much higher than price in my shopping concerns. (Kira gets a CSP - CheapSkate Point)
I do not like to shop. (Another CSP) Fabric and accessories DO NOT COUNT. Ha!
I do not have buyer's remorse regarding any of my purchases this year! (CSP)
Separating needs and wants. I started to keep a shopping list of wants in the wunderlist app. And I have found that when I hold off on purchases, I delete most of what is on my want list at future viewings. Only when something remains on my list, and I can justify the purchase and get a great deal, will I follow through on the purchase. Needless to say, few "wants" have been purchased this year. (CSP)
Premeditated shopper - I am a scratch cook, and rarely find manufacturers coupons for my shopping. However, I do find store discounts on occasion. These sales usually have an expiration date within the month. I will stock up on the products and coupons for the immediate future (and my available storage), and stock up on additional coupons for my next visit. (CSP)
Spending Anxiety Disorder arises, especially when considering large sums of money (my brother and I both share this characteristic). I dislike seeing others waste money and resources. (I had to bite my tongue while visiting family last year, they tore off several sheets of paper-towel to dry hands after washing. EACH AND EVERY TIME. Tighten those jaws a bit more Kira! I confess to subdividing paper-towels in thirds and fourths. And I dry my hands with a cloth towel ... that I wash and reuse.) (CSP)
Brand Blind and advertising averse. Yes! I am not interested in funding a manufacturers advertising budget. I read reviews before purchasing. I am "brand" loyal in so far as 1) Modern Japanese manufacturing (a car and a sewing machine of mine are recent Japanese manufacture), 2) I do buy organic (and lose a CSP for this) and will look to those known brands first if my grocery does not have their own organic line, and 3) when adding accessories to a much used product (we have Nikon cameras and will only buy those accessories that fit our camera bodies ... but it does not have to be a Nikon lens, it just has to work like one).
Change vs Progress and how it affects you specifically. My car is quickly approaching the 10 year mark. As long as the money I pay in upkeep stays reasonable, I will not be purchasing another. While I enjoy learning about the latest upgrades in the industry, I do not need to own them. Personally, I very much enjoy not having a monthly car payment. 😉 (CSP)
I highly recommend Jeff Yeager's Cheapskate series. He is humorous, easy to read, and has great suggestions for reducing consumption. Thanks Jeff.
No comments:
Post a Comment