Nobody wants to be seen as the cheapskate. As parents, we fear being seen as the parent who is not willing to spend money on their kids. With that thought, we spend a fortune on brand new strollers for each child we have, new playpens, new clothes, shoes, bikes, backpacks, lunchboxes, etc, tec, etc. Before you know it, you have spent a fortune; literally, thousands of dollars.
The worst is when we buy the same clothing item but of a different color just because we have a child of a different gender. What a great idea it was for all industries to latch on that idea of blue for boys and pink for girls. Think about what a difference it would make if there were no stereotypes about what color clothing our kids wear. We would save tons!
Well, unfortunately, that’s not the case, and kids can be really nasty towards other kids if they brake some of these stereotypical rules. But that should not be the reason for you to spend tons and conform to all these social pressures; especially in these times when technology is at our fingertips.
Recently our little boy was in need of some snow pants. He wants to be outside playing and the early snow kind of got us off guard. He wore some hammy-down from the older sisters and sure enough, they were some pinkish red color. It was becoming an issue for him at school because even some of the teachers were mistakenly thinking he was a girl; I don’t blame them, all kids are in coats, bundled up and it’s hard to tell, so you just let yourself roll with the stereotypes. With whta you are used to.
So, we decided to go to our favorite shopping place. Facebook, marketplace. In no time we were able to find a pair of snow pants for $6.00 right around our neighborhood. They look brand new and fit him perfectly.
The cheapest pair I found online was at target for $16.99. But the story doesn’t end there. Besides the price tag, don’t forget that “the man” takes his cut. Illinois takes 6.25%. In this case $1.06. Total $18.05. Which also means we scored a 66% savings.
Think about all you could do and invest if you could cut all your discretionary expenses 66%. That’s the way we live. We could go to the store and buy what we need and want at retail price. But why? why would I do that if I can get it for cheaper and just as good?
I don’t think we are cheap. I just think we are very efficient with what we have.
I would love to hear from other people’s hacks and savings. Information is power. Let’s share.
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