The New Year is here, and for most of us, the New Budget. Or maybe back to the old budget. Or no budget at all, just wondering what it”d be like to save a buck or two..
Let”s have a little fun with it, why don”t we?
To the tune of Jingle Bells, Everybody!
“Oh what fun It is to-“
Budget.
Um. Save Money.
Come off like a tight-wad to all those people in line behind you.
Orrrrrr… Okay, maybe that”s not the right approach. Wanna get crafty? Oh, no, no, no. Not with glue guns and ric-rac. Oh no, that is not me… Being a mom taught me REALFAST, I may be “Artsy”, but I am not at all “crafty.”
Okay then. How about let”s make it a game? YEAH! A game! Where we spend less. Or dang, just stick to said- budget in the first place. Cause that sounds ohhhhhh, so fun, huh?
There”s that silly little game recommended by so many experts, we shall call it, The “Paying With Cash.” REAL Cash. Not the debit card.
I know what”s it”s like. Oh the debit card. That”s real money, right? Comes directly out of your checking account, and you don”t have to make that stop at the ATM beforehand.
Well where”s the fun in that? Who has time to check the Facebook News Feed if not for sitting in line at the drive-up ATM?! So get yourself some money, why don”t ya?
Then, THEN is when the real fun starts. “Cause when you are standing there in the Super-Walmart, and your grand total comes to $143.17, I know what you”re thinking…. Whipping out that shiny platinum horse -and -carriage. “Oh me, It”s just 3 dollars. I TOOOOOO-Tally made the budget today.”
Yeah. That”s what it is. On the debit card.
But not so casino much, in the cash world.
No, no. Now, NOW we are playing this little game I like to call, The Scrape and Splurge. Oh yeah, it”s where you go $3.17 over budget. So you are digging in your wallet, and the bottom of your purse, and, oh-so-casually glance to see if there is one of those “give a penny-take a penny” dishes anywhere nearby. Mmm. Hmmm. You just better hope you saved a couple extra (right? Extra bucks. Okay.) from last week. You scrape it up to cover that $3.17.
And if by chance you made it under a clean $140? Then it”s McDonald”s Frappe for you, on the way out the door. If, of course, You have a coupon. For a free Frappe. Gotta do this again next week, ya know?
You always have the alternative move to play. The “Put it Back.”
Collective GASSSSSPPPPPPP from the audience.
I know! Humiliating, right? Don”t worry. You have a couple of ways to swing this. You can always go with the “Oh, me, could you 1m in H1 2013 because of ongoing strength in the poker and best casino product. check the price on this for me? Oh, oh dear. No, no thank you, not today.” As if you didn”t KNOW that name brand Cookie Crisp cost more than the Great Value Cookie-O”s.
This one comes in handy, when you are totin” your kids along. “Ohhhhh, I”m sooooooo sorry. They put this in the buggy. Could you please put it back for me?” Yes. Buggy. Are we still on that?
My personal fave. Just do it up. Go BIG, or Go Home. “WHOA! Holy Smokes! Oh me, we gotta put something back! Daddy will BEAT US if we spend too much. Okay, kids, everybody pick one thing, and throw it back in the cart. Buggy. I mean. Errr. Oops.”
Yeahhhhh. You know, You ain”t gonna see Ms. Shirley again. Until next week, at least. SHE isn”t going to care if you ask to put something back or not. Little secret? SHE, personally, does not have to put it back. She piles in it another cart, Buggy!, and just calls the next person in line. They are all being paid hourly. If you need to put it back, they get paid the same either way. I know. I worked there.
So, give the guy behind you a break. Maybe he or she is standing there thinking, “Oh! Yogurt covered raisins!! That”s a healthy snack! But the bananas. And the applesauce. Can I make it happen?” Well, maybe not?
But the Game? Put it Back? Why NOT, I ask you? Make it a little easer on the next person, after all.
And now, everybody sing, “Oh what fun… it is to play…. The Saving Money game….”
XOXO,
Denise
Have a Thifty New Year, my friends.
Save Big. Who knows who is behind you in the checkout line?
For more fun and frugal adventures, please visit me at Go Cheap or Go Home,
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