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Sometimes ‘sales’ are kind of a joke.
Sales like this are kind of ridiculous. They know a lot of people scroll through the app, see the red text, think ‘oh it’s on sale’ and click without actually looking at how much difference the sale makes.
I was cruising through today, kind of missing boxed mac and cheese but thinking “I’ve got pasta and processed cheese, I can make my own.” Then red text! Ooo, sale! Click…. But. I don’t really want or need it, and the sale only saves four cents! There’s another generic brand that’s the same quality but wasn’t on sale so I didn’t click on it, and that one is 1.05 regular price. 20 cents cheaper than the ‘sale’ price on this one.
But “Sale! Click!” is an ingrained reaction. Because it’s a sale, it feels like a good decision. Happy little brain chemicals tell us ‘good job! You are an expert hunter of groceries!’ and the marketing folks are fully aware of that and use that to their full advantage.
When I was a little kid, mom always had the calculator out when grocery shopping. How much is each piece in the package? What’s the price by weight or volume? Which is actually the better deal? These days a lot of grocery apps and store shelf tags have the price by unit/weight etc on them (often in teeny tiny text), so ostensibly they’re being open about the actual value of products. However if there’s a big eye catching sale sign or red text, the impulse to assume it’s a good deal will always kick in.
Anyway, **TLDR: Always do the math. A sale isn’t always the best deal.** 🙂
#finance
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Sales like this are kind of ridiculous. They know a lot of people scroll through the app, see the red text, think ‘oh it’s on sale’ and click without actually looking at how much difference the sale makes.
I was cruising through today, kind of missing boxed mac and cheese but thinking “I’ve got pasta and processed cheese, I can make my own.” Then red text! Ooo, sale! Click…. But. I don’t really want or need it, and the sale only saves four cents! There’s another generic brand that’s the same quality but wasn’t on sale so I didn’t click on it, and that one is 1.05 regular price. 20 cents cheaper than the ‘sale’ price on this one.
But “Sale! Click!” is an ingrained reaction. Because it’s a sale, it feels like a good decision. Happy little brain chemicals tell us ‘good job! You are an expert hunter of groceries!’ and the marketing folks are fully aware of that and use that to their full advantage.
When I was a little kid, mom always had the calculator out when grocery shopping. How much is each piece in the package? What’s the price by weight or volume? Which is actually the better deal? These days a lot of grocery apps and store shelf tags have the price by unit/weight etc on them (often in teeny tiny text), so ostensibly they’re being open about the actual value of products. However if there’s a big eye catching sale sign or red text, the impulse to assume it’s a good deal will always kick in.
Anyway, **TLDR: Always do the math. A sale isn’t always the best deal.** 🙂
#finance
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Ideas to add DIY decor on top of some curtains?
In an effort to reduce my electric bill and keep my apartment from getting too hot during the day, I decided to get some curtains. I found blackout curtains on clearance at Walmart for $4, slightly shorter than my living room windows but close enough. They had a stain (presumably why they were on clearance) but it came right off with a tide pen. I’m hoping that they’ll make a difference with the temperature during the day but Texas heat is no joke so we’ll see. The problem I have with them though is that they are sooooo plain. They’re a light gray, almost the same shade as the walls. The lack of contrast and the neutrality for someone like me who loves bright colors is just so unsatisfying. So I thought about maybe getting a bead curtain to layer on top for some color and texture. But that requires yet another purchase, which I’m trying to avoid. So I am looking for something that I can make but I’m not even sure what to search to look for inspiration. A DIY bead curtain would require a lot more beads than I currently have stashed in my craft supplies and that would again be an additional purchase. I thought about trying to stitch some patches on the curtains themselves but I don’t have a sewing machine and hand stitching would be quite tedious.
#finance
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In an effort to reduce my electric bill and keep my apartment from getting too hot during the day, I decided to get some curtains. I found blackout curtains on clearance at Walmart for $4, slightly shorter than my living room windows but close enough. They had a stain (presumably why they were on clearance) but it came right off with a tide pen. I’m hoping that they’ll make a difference with the temperature during the day but Texas heat is no joke so we’ll see. The problem I have with them though is that they are sooooo plain. They’re a light gray, almost the same shade as the walls. The lack of contrast and the neutrality for someone like me who loves bright colors is just so unsatisfying. So I thought about maybe getting a bead curtain to layer on top for some color and texture. But that requires yet another purchase, which I’m trying to avoid. So I am looking for something that I can make but I’m not even sure what to search to look for inspiration. A DIY bead curtain would require a lot more beads than I currently have stashed in my craft supplies and that would again be an additional purchase. I thought about trying to stitch some patches on the curtains themselves but I don’t have a sewing machine and hand stitching would be quite tedious.
#finance
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What's your lowest payoff frugal tip?
I know every little bit helps, but what's the technique or purchase that you do that's more about principle than the actual savings?
This is a bad example, but this came up because I just plugged in my rechargeable AA batteries that I bought like 10 years ago for my flashlight when I was working graveyard shift in security. Nowadays they're in my Xbox controller and I go 3 weeks between charges.
#finance
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I know every little bit helps, but what's the technique or purchase that you do that's more about principle than the actual savings?
This is a bad example, but this came up because I just plugged in my rechargeable AA batteries that I bought like 10 years ago for my flashlight when I was working graveyard shift in security. Nowadays they're in my Xbox controller and I go 3 weeks between charges.
#finance
source