That’s going to be the follow-up title to this little gem that is currently in my bathroom. It will include such case studies as:
1. You get a shirt from anthropologie as a birthday gift. It is too big, so you go to return it. You only have a $50 credit, but when you get there, you see a $118 skirt that is perfect! You figure that since the $50 for the shirt is like “free money”, and you’d buy the skirt anyway if it were $50, you can spend $50 + $50 now. That only comes to $100, but since you would definitely pay $18 for such an awesome skirt, you are willing to pay $18 (the amount over the original investment as you have now calculated it) and buy the skirt. Good for you!
2. You buy a pair of shoes that are slightly uncomfortable but totally cute for $100. You wear them out four times, and they’re just not working, but you’ve already scuffed them and you’ve lost the receipt, so you’re sure the store won’t take them back. You justify the purchase retroactively by considering that they cost $25 each time you wore them, which was less than you spent on dinner and drinks every time you went out, which isn’t bad. And, since you only spent $25 on them, you figure you owe it to yourself to buy a new pair of shoes that fits better. You find a perfect pair of shoes for $125, and figure that since you already spent $100 on bad shoes, you should spend at least that on good shoes, and accept the extra $25 as the price you will have to pay for quality. Nice move!
3. You always keep a $50 return waiting in a UPS package in your trunk so that if you ever find something you really like that’s around $50 when you happen to be at the mall, you can justify the purchase by promising that today is the day you will make it over to the UPS drop box, thereby claiming your $50 of free money. Sounds sensible to me!
If any of the above scenarios sound familiar, you need my book, in which I justify all of the above behaviors and more as completely rational and normal, and totally go off on anyone who says they’re not by claiming that such people are unhealthily frugal or simply don’t want you to enjoy life.
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This is why we get along and I might love you a tad more than my brand-spanking new husband (just kidding*)! I’m still silently chuckling over your italicized encouragement. But you forgot my favorite one:
You need new pants and so you go to Macys, where, unexpectedly, there is a sale. You find the pants you need for $20, but the original price was $60, which means you INADVERTENTLY saved $40, which can then be applied to more purchases (but you also add a little extra wiggle room (say $15) because of how thrifty you are! (WAY TO BARGAIN SHOP!)
*maybe?
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