Irrational frugality

[sengsational]

Then the clean feeling of being clean shaven was tough to beat.

Being an electric shaver man my whole life, I don't know what I'm missing

But really, in an hour or two, you've got at least as much stubble as my electric left behind, so 22 hours of the day we're about the same.

 

[athena53]

IRRATIONAL?
I buy paper towels maybe twice a year and guard them.

My Ex and I had a cleaning lady (well, he insisted and we were both working outside the home) whose use of paper towels drove me crazy. She's immigrated from Poland before the fall of communism, so it was a country where everything was scarce and nothing was thrown away; I couldn't understand how she could be so wasteful. I'd left cleaning rags for her but I swear she used a new paper towel with every swipe. One day I put out a roll that was brand new and she left 2 sheets on it. After that I started hiding them.

On the subject of shaving- I'm female so shave only my legs and underarms but got tired of paying insane amounts for brand-name razor blades that fir my razor, only to have razor designs change frequently so I had to throw out the old one and buy new blades and razor, etc. Now I shave with the blade- just the blade- very carefully. I can manage without cutting myself and I buy whatever store brand blade is on sale. Life is good.

 

[Live And Learn]

On the subject of shaving- I'm female so shave only my legs and underarms but got tired of paying insane amounts for brand-name razor blades <snip> Now I shave with the blade- just the blade- very carefully..

oh you are brave ! I could never do that. After endless knicks and cuts that hurt like heck when you go into the ocean I switched to an electric razor. I can shave wet or dry and it goes so much faster than a razor, and no knicks or cuts ! Best $40 I've spent in a long time. And its going strong after 8 years. Love my electric razor.

 

[Backdraft57]

Do you have any "irrational" frugalities like this? If so, have you just accepted them or do you find yourself struggling to be more rational and loosen up the purse strings whenever you notice them?

I don't think mine are irrational at all but my DW certainly does. I wanted store brand parmesean cheese yesterday and she wanted big name brand for $1.15 more. So we argued in the aisle over $1.15. I said ok DW I will just throw $1.15 out of my wallet on the floor does that make sense? Well we got the store brand but she wasn't happy. I won a battle but am loosing the war for sure.

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[highlow65]

I like pre-made hamburger patties, separated by wax paper, frozen. then I can grill up exactly the number of burgers I need. But my market upcharges their pre-mades by almost 100% over the large "Family Pack" ground meat (same % lean quality).
So I bought this little press and the wax sheets on Amazon and I press them myself. My wife thinks I'm nuts. It takes about 10 minutes to do 5 lbs.
But not only does it save a nickel, it makes it so much easier to cook burgers (one of my favorite meals).
it makes me happy.

I would never do this but if it makes you happy then it's win win for you. Anything that makes you happy is a good thing.

 

[SteveNU]

I don't think mine are irrational at all but my DW certainly does. I wanted store brand parmesean cheese yesterday and she wanted big name brand for $1.15 more. So we argued in the aisle over $1.15. I said ok DW I will just throw $1.15 out of my wallet on the floor does that make sense? Well we got the store brand but she wasn't happy. I won a battle but am loosing the war for sure.

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I do this all the time. But I'm finally realizing that the few dollars we would save aren't worth the trouble. Saving a few hundred dollars over a year is not going to make a difference in our long term financial situation but arguing about it will make a difference in our long term relationship!

And it's hard to argue that we should have bought the cheaper store brand and saved $.59 when I go and spend $$ on some gadget the next day. If it makes her happy then all is good!

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[kcowan]

Being an electric shaver man my whole life, I don't know what I'm missing

But really, in an hour or two, you've got at least as much stubble as my electric left behind, so 22 hours of the day we're about the same.

I think part of the clean feeling is the removal of a layer of old skin. Maybe defoliation is the real benefit to blade shaving. I do like to skip a day though.

 

[Koolau]

I don't think mine are irrational at all but my DW certainly does. I wanted store brand parmesean cheese yesterday and she wanted big name brand for $1.15 more. So we argued in the aisle over $1.15. I said ok DW I will just throw $1.15 out of my wallet on the floor does that make sense? Well we got the store brand but she wasn't happy. I won a battle but am loosing the war for sure.

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If I ever change my Tag Line, it will probably read:

"If Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy!"

YMMV

 

[MichaelB]

I don't think mine are irrational at all but my DW certainly does. I wanted store brand parmesean cheese yesterday and she wanted big name brand for $1.15 more. So we argued in the aisle over $1.15. I said ok DW I will just throw $1.15 out of my wallet on the floor does that make sense? Well we got the store brand but she wasn't happy. I won a battle but am loosing the war for sure.

Are you a glutton for punishment? j/k

This is a war lost for sure, but it's not clear to me that you can even win the battle. This is war best avoided altogether.

If I ever change my Tag Line, it will probably read:

"If Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy!"

Truer words were never spoken

 

[RobbieB]

Hehe, not only do I not get "store" Parmesan, I buy Reggiano with those little crunchy bits in it. The real stuff from Italy.

I can taste the difference -

 

[jazz4cash]

I don't think mine are irrational at all but my DW certainly does. I wanted store brand parmesean cheese yesterday and she wanted big name brand for $1.15 more. So we argued in the aisle over $1.15. I said ok DW I will just throw $1.15 out of my wallet on the floor does that make sense? Well we got the store brand but she wasn't happy. I won a battle but am loosing the war for sure.

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So how was the cheese?

Reminds me of how I bought store brand cereal and put it in generic Tupperware cereal containers. Not sure if the kids could taste the difference but they sure thought I was cheap. Name brand cereal way overpriced.


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[samclem]

Reminds me of how I bought store brand cereal and put it in generic Tupperware cereal containers. Not sure if the kids could taste the difference but they sure thought I was cheap. Name brand cereal way overpriced.

Hey, are you Glen Showalter? He's my hero!
The Onion

"I told them Cocoa-Roos are no different from Cocoa Puffs," Showalter said. "The only difference is that bird on the box. What these kids don't understand is that when you buy Cocoa Puffs, you're mostly paying for that bird."
Showalter also reminded the children that when they become breadwinners themselves, they can buy all the overpriced cereal they want.

* Note: The Onion is a humor magazine. The information it contains my not reflect real-life events.

 

[Backdraft57]

So how was the cheese


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Well, I of course thought it was fine. I will never argue over a buck again. Well, I bet I do. :0)


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[jazz4cash]

Lol. Not Glen Showalter. My frugal skills are several notches above Glen's. Heck, the stuff he bought was Quaker Oats product. I always knew about the stuff on the lower shelves and my kids were much younger than his when I had to match wits with them. If you bring home a bag instead of a box it's a red flag. Thank goodness for Aldi's. With my generic Tupperware cereal containers I switched between the hi priced brands on sale and low price brands so the kids were not sure and eventually caved in to the sugar rush.


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[ERD50]

I don't think mine are irrational at all but my DW certainly does. I wanted store brand parmesean cheese yesterday and she wanted big name brand for $1.15 more. So we argued in the aisle over $1.15. I said ok DW I will just throw $1.15 out of my wallet on the floor does that make sense? Well we got the store brand but she wasn't happy. I won a battle but am loosing the war for sure.

So how was the cheese? ...

Well, I of course thought it was fine. I will never argue over a buck again. Well, I bet I do. :0) ...

As MichealB suggested earlier, choose your battles.

It really makes no difference if you thought the store brand cheese was fine - what did your wife think? It may have been worth the price difference to her. So doesn't her opinion count?

I'm no connoisseur, and not very knowledgeable about cheese, but I can often tell the difference among different offerings of the same cheese style (Trader Joe's has several cheddar cheeses from time to time - their aged English Cheddar is night and day from a grocery store-brand 'cheddar'). I would not be surprised at all if some people could identify a store brand Parmesan from a more upscale offering.

The question is, could she identify the difference, and have a preference? One way to check is with a 'triangle test'. Offer her 3 samples of the cheese (blind to her of course), one plate has one of the brands, and two plates have the other brand. First, can she pick out the different one (if there are visual cues, you might need to do this in a dimly lit room)? If not, game over. If she can pick out the difference, does she have a preference? Is the preference the upscale brand?

Be prepared, if she chooses the store brand, don't assume you 'won'! Instead of taking this as a learning experience, some see it as a some kind of attack. I don't get that, if I can find a cheaper sub for something I like, I'm happy. But not everyone.

These things must be done delicately (WoOz reference).

DW 'failed' in a triangle test of a box Pinot Grigio I bought, and a Savignon Blanc that she likes. She has nothing against box wines, there are some decent ones, she just thought that Pinot Grigio was too sweet, and wouldn't drink it after the first sample. But in the triangle test, she declared her SB as "way too sweet", and liked the PG. I'm still not sure how this will end - these things must be done delicately.

-ERD50

 

[RobbieB]

Yes, if you're going to get in a fight with your wife over a dollar then it's irrational frugality.

 

[NW-Bound]

My wife does not drink any alcohol so I can buy whatever I want, although she was the one who bought me many XO Cognac bottles as gifts.

About cheese, oh man, there's a vast difference between how they taste. Here, I tend to like the hard cheese like gouda and aged cheddar from all different places, while she likes soft cheese like brie and blue cheese. So, we each buy what we like. No fighting.

 

[2017ish]

My wife does not drink any alcohol so I can buy whatever I want, although she was the one who bought me many XO Cognac bottles as gifts.

....

Our liquor/wine budget would be SO much smaller if this were true in our household! Only one of us has a sensitive palate, and it isn't me.

 

[audreyh1]

OMG! If it's not real Parmesan, i.e. Parmigiano-Reggiano from Parma, Italy, I won't buy it! Fortunately Costco carries it at a good price. Anything else is like a faint shadow - why bother?

 

[RobbieB]

Indeed.

 

[Meadbh]

I don't think mine are irrational at all but my DW certainly does. I wanted store brand parmesean cheese yesterday and she wanted big name brand for $1.15 more. So we argued in the aisle over $1.15. I said ok DW I will just throw $1.15 out of my wallet on the floor does that make sense? Well we got the store brand but she wasn't happy. I won a battle but am loosing the war for sure.

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I hope this wasn't grated Parmesan cheese, which includes cellulose filler. Always buy the real thing, Parmiggiano-Reggiano, in a block, and grate it yourself. You will notice the difference!

 

[samclem]

I hope this wasn't grated Parmesan cheese, which includes cellulose filler. Always buy the real thing, Parmiggiano-Reggiano, in a block, and grate it yourself. You will notice the difference!

Cellulose provides valuable fiber that doctors say most of us need. If DW brings home a block of that hoity-toity Pamesan-in-a-block I have to grate in some newspaper to make it taste like the regular stuff.

 

[brucethebroker]

I was discussing the "frugal" topic with a friend over the weekend. He told me he knew he had gone too far when, after a trip to Aldi's supermarket, he bragged to his DW that he had found a quarter left on a shopping cart (you have to shop Aldi's to understand). I asked if his wife rolled her eyes when he told her. "How did you know?"
Yep, been there, done that, in recovery, etc......

 

[Koolau]

I was discussing the "frugal" topic with a friend over the weekend. He told me he knew he had gone too far when, after a trip to Aldi's supermarket, he bragged to his DW that he had found a quarter left on a shopping cart (you have to shop Aldi's to understand). I asked if his wife rolled her eyes when he told her. "How did you know?"
Yep, been there, done that, in recovery, etc......

I make a POINT of looking for forgotten quarters at Aldi's. I probably score a quarter every 4th trip! Makes me feel good. Always put the quarter in the (empty) ash tray in the car so DW always has one when she goes to Aldi the next time. Think I have 4 or 5 in there now from our summer on the mainland. I will miss Aldi when we return to Paradise. $1.69 milk instead of $5.89 always turns my head the first couple of trips to Aldi in the summer. YMMV

 

[jazz4cash]

At my Aldi there is a thriving pay it forward movement.


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