If you buy 10 hoodies from Goodwill for $2.99 and only love the one you got from Old Navy for $20, that does not save you money! lol!

(I did this this year. I have like 10 goodwill hoodies in my closet, and I wear one of them and then wear the one I spent $20 for at Old Navy all the time... *Sigh* live and learn)

ADD YOURS! :D

Great idea for a thread!

This one took me a while to learn: It is not really a deal if you use your grocery money to buy something that is a fantastic bargain only to put your groceries on the cc or write a check that bounces.

Buying something on superduper sale "because you MAY need it someday" means that you will never need it EVER and it will end up taking up space for years and years.
But then you will throw it out, only to need it 3 weeks later.
:)

If you buy 10 hoodies from Goodwill for $2.99 and only love the one you got from Old Navy for $20, that does not save you money! lol!

(I did this this year. I have like 10 goodwill hoodies in my closet, and I wear one of them and then wear the one I spent $20 for at Old Navy all the time... *Sigh* live and learn)

ADD YOURS! :D

I'll reinforce this as well. Over the course of the past 15 years of my life I have consistently found that when I say, "I really like this, but it costs far more than I should spend" and I buy it anyway, I end up getting far better cost per use from it than when I buy something because it is a good deal.

I think that simplying and thrift has room for "buy very few things, but when one does, get the best one can possibly afford - whether it is on sale or full price."

If a flat screen HD television is on sale for a 'too good to be true' price
($194.96) and you need one........make sure to read the box before purchasing it to make sure it really is an HDTV and not a HD ready one with an analog tuner.

This way, you will avoid having to either
a) waste gas and time returning it
b) keep from deciding to settle for the analog one!

Sigh. (I did choice a)

Back to the HDTV free life (I want digital stations and we don't have cable!)

Ohhh! Good Idea, Val!

Making a pot of lentils and rice for dinner to save money does not save money when the dh and kids sneak out for fish n'chips!

Ohhh! Good Idea, Val!

Making a pot of lentils and rice for dinner to save money does not save money when the dh and kids sneak out for fish n'chips!


AMEN to that one!! :rolleyes:

oh good ones! todays for us is:

its not saving money if you install a whole house fan, have it on and then forget to undo/delete the thermostat program that has the a/c cutting on at 2pm.

i've learned not to buy ahead because it's a good deal for my close friends. i end up changing my mind. i do still like buying ahead for kids and some of my family though. and i've learned that i need an inventory list of what's in the gift closet and who i was thinking about when i bought it.

I've learned I need to make a list of my DVD's to keep in my wallet. I've bought the same movie MORE THAN ONCE!!! I see it for a good price and think "I liked that movie, I'll pick it up" only to already have it. I discovered my repeats when I bought my DVD binders to get rid of cases.

Co-op's are not always a good deal. Esp when you only buy a few of something. Sometimes you will pay $21 for four bars of soap... :p

Doing it yourself is never free. I have learned that lesson time and again with furniture that remains in my basement collecting dust. You still have to buy the primer and the paint, have the time to invest in said item. I have found that the same goes for lawn care and landscaping! If your husband isn't going to do it (and you certainly aren't) you had better be happy with weeds. Oh yeah, and sewing clothing. Still costs money (fabric, machine servicing) and time and if it turns into an obsession you can no longer defend it as thrifty! I have learned the hard way there is only so much of me to go around. ;)

Okay... so today... I simply sat. I sat under my tree and I read Jane Austin. I lost myself in the story and enjoyed the cool breeze and soft songs of the little brown birds that flocked to my garden. it was a simply beautiful day.

This is actually dh's but I ask it every year around football season "just exactly WHO will be eating a gallon-sized can of nacho cheese before it goes bad?"

Dude, don't buy bulk food. please.

This is the one I learned (again) today. Don't buy shoes unless the feet they're intended for are with you. I got the wrong size flip flops for gusty today. They were the 5 dollar flips not the 1.00 flips and she wore them outside before she decided she didn't like them. :vent:

I agree... always have the shoe and foot together and handy and COOPERATIVE. Cyan has many times walked around the store, said she likes them, and then changed her mind. If she wasn't MY kid and if I didn't do this, I would have walked out a hundred times with shoes she regreted over and over again. lol...

buying a gallon of "natural" shampoo and conditioner (each!) that doesn't test on animals, from Azure standard co-op online only to discover it doesn't work that great on dyed hair.

So I bought some crappy Tresemme at evil walmart.

Also,

buying 25 lbs of organic cornmeal, with the intent of making cornbread once a week, and 5 years later trying to still use it up. It is definately stale and doesn't make good bread!

I know I have many more of these.

I've learned the bulk food one too many times. Though, these days I try to only buy in bulk if it's something we really do use in bulk....

You don't save money by putting sale items on your credit card.

And, no, don't waste your money buying something because it's cheap instead of spending more on something you love.

going into the dollar store and NOT sticking to your list is NOT saving money!

I end up with at least 10 "cool, its a dollar gotta have it" items.