I used to think I was resourceful with money. Today, however, on a shopping trip with two girlfriends, I caught myself wondering if I was just plain cheap. Standing in the outlet for a high-end children’s clothing store, I was wincing at the thought of paying $12 for a new sweater for my son (original retail price: $35 USD). $12 would have been a great deal to me just a few years ago, but since I’ve recently become an aggressive saver, it now seemed like too much to pay.

Here are some of my tips for making the change from spender to saver:

• Buy second-hand. You can score amazing deals on name brand items if you buy them used. I buy lots of goods second-hand and save SO much money that way. I got a like-new, low mileage, previously owned car last year and saved about $10,000 off what it would have cost me had I purchased it new the year before. I also buy most of son’s clothing at second-hand stores, getting things like Ralph Lauren polos for $3 and Baby Gap jeans for $5.
• Buy discount. For those items you need (or prefer) new, hit up discount stores such as Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc. You can score some high-quality items at reduced prices - I just bought a necklace at Nordstrom Rack that retails for $250. The price I paid? $40.
• Buy real estate. That probably sounds crazy right now, but if you can afford it (and are stable in your job), now is actually a good time to buy. Interest rates are low, as are home prices, and the federal government is strongly considering increasing the first-time homeowners tax credit from the current $7500 to $15,000. Additionally, the government is considering turning this interest-free loan into a lump sum that would not need to be repaid. As in, free money.
• Buy in bulk. I don’t clip coupons, nor do I make a shopping list before I head to the store. Instead, I simply shop based on what’s at a good price when I go and stock up on items I know I’ll use. Try to avoid the multiple trips to the grocery store each week - you’ll spend more that way. Also, pay attention to the unit price of an item (usually listed in the corner of the price label) and buy it in whatever size it is the cheapest (but buy multiples of that size). The largest size is usually the cheapest, but not always. So check.
• Bring lunch and drink office coffee. This one has saved me nearly $3,000 per year. A morning latte ($3) and a sandwich for lunch ($7) doesn’t seem like a lot until you look at what it’s doing to your budget on a yearly basis. I switched to drinking coffee in the office (unlimited refills!) and bringing my lunch - anything from leftovers from the night before to macaroni and cheese with frozen edamame.

With all the holiday sales happening, this Jew decided to take advantage of the situation and buy herself a little present (since, you know, I pretty much miss out on the Christmas gifts).

I found an awesome pair of Hudson jeans on sale for $100. Excited to receive my new treat, I rushed them to my house via 2-day delivery. They were scheduled to arrive on December 24th.

December 24th: No jeans.

December 25th: No mail due to holiday. I sit and lament lack of jeans and lack of mail.

December 26th: No jeans.

December 27th: No jeans. I send angry letter to UPS and store where said jeans were purchased.

December 28th: UPS says they “cannot locate” my jeans’ whereabouts after December 24th, the last time they were in their system. Store where jeans were purchased launches “investigation.”

December 29th: UPS arrives at our door! With a package! …..For my Ex. I conclude the jeans have been stolen. Yelling and stomping ensues. My Ex tells me I’m crazy.

My Ex is getting sick of me talking about my jeans - in fact, he claimed I was acting like an adolescent. (Admittedly, I probably am, but I don’t care.) My theory is that the jeans were stolen by a UPS worker. They came from a well-known, high-end store that puts their logo on the outside of the package. When stated in the strong form (”UPS obviously stole my jeans”), my Ex uses this theory as further evidence of my lack of logic.  He has accused me of treating this like a national security issue.

But really I just want my poor, missing jeans. Where oh where can they be?

I am calling this place my permanent home because, after two weeks of miserable moving, I have decided that I am never moving again.

The Ex and I purchased a brand new townhouse and arranged to be out of our old apartment by the middle of this month. We had budgeted money to hire movers, but somehow, in a fit of delirious stupidity, decided we could do it all ourselves. Before you think to yourself, “Okay, that’s sounds reasonable,” let me inform you that I am quite petite. And while I am strong for my size, there is a limit to how well a 5′2 female can carry couches up multiple flights of stairs.

My Ex is a good foot taller than I and he is naturally pretty strong. However, my Ex has recently been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and tires very, very quickly. So of course, him moving all our furniture was a great idea, right? Clearly.

The end result of this fiasco was that I took a week off work and, after moving everything from our apartment to our new townhouse, both of us are too exhausted to unpack anything. (We had a fight this morning over who had to get up and take Gavin to school. I lost, but not before throwing my cell phone at my Ex’s sleeping body.) I am currently living in a sea of boxes and, if history is any indicator, it is how I plan to stay for quite some time.

Oh, and we’re supposed to be having Thanksgiving here tomorrow, despite the fact that our refridgerator was not delivered and we have no clue where our plates are. I am thinking to serve my guests pizza, which would admittedly be a very gourmet change from all the fast food burgers we’ve been eating lately. Seriously, I am beginning to think my Ex is filming a new version of Super-Size Me and just hasn’t told me.

Anyway, enough complaining. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I truly have a lot to be thankful for. More than anything, I am thankful for my precocious, loving son - who woke me up with kisses this morning - and my wonderful Ex, who must have the patience of a saint.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!