Is Frugality Totally For Me?

I went shopping with my mom at the Salvation Army recently. My mom is a shark when it comes to finding the best deals on used clothing. She'll get there first thing and rifle through the best stuff to get what she wants.

Here are some things she's scored recently:

• Brand new wig - $3
• Designer winter coat - $8.00
• Pants - $3.00
• Barely worn designer shoes - $5.00

I don't know how she does it!

She does enjoy her weekly trips but mostly, she shops there out of necessity. My mom has been on a fixed income for years and has shopped at the Sally Ann because she just couldn't afford to buy things brand new. Recently, though, she has retired and her monthly income has gone up.

But a funny thing has happened - now that she's retired and can afford new clothing, she still shops there. Why?

Well, she has a problem paying the prices for brand-new items when the quality has gone down so much over the last 30 years. Things just aren't made like they used to be. Plus, most of the stuff she finds is gently-used or virtually new.

Now that's she's retired, she has all the time in the world to keep going back and getting the best items. She actually gets a thrill out of finding new clothing for next to nothing.

Is it for me?

I'd have to say, mostly no. I looked around and didn't see anything I liked (they had used underwear!), plus I began to lose a bit of patience.

I've made a decision – frugality isn't totally for me, it appears. I do some things frugally, like cut my own hair, and I do watch what I spend very closely, but I'm all about the time.

For me, I look at the payback of doing any activity – does the time I spend give me back something in return?

In the case of shopping at the Salvation Army – I usually have to spend hours and rarely come out with stuff I'd actually wear. I have found things in the past, but never really liked them as much as something new.

Hunting for Deals

I will keep hunting for deals, though. I just can't imagine paying full-price for anything.

At the end of the day, I do have a fair amount of decent stores where I live, so it is simple and hardly time-consuming to keep track of what the deals on brand-new clothing are.

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