I was chomping on a tasty BBQ dinner with five friends when – GASP – the waitress undercharged us. The bill was $20 a head – a fab deal for the meaty meal – because she had failed to add another $11 for the booze. The four of us who split the drinks would have owed another $3.50 per, which includes tax and tip on the beer.
“Should we tell the waitress?” I asked.
Nobody said anything.
The person holding the bill shrugged.
Not being one to rock the boat, and being a little greedy, I kept my mouth shut. We paid the bill as is. The waitress went home a little poorer and we went home a little richer.
I still feel uneasy about what we did. I’m sure a few of my friends, if not everyone else at the table, had similar urges to do the right thing. But the group mentality to take advantage of a minor windfall won over the individual suggestion to fess up.
Should I have stood my ground? Or does being undercharged even out the times we don’t notice being overcharged?
What happens when you are undercharged?
Related:
Money morality – is finding money stealing?
People often ask me where I find my deals and I tell them, like a reporter covering any beat, I have a variety of sources. One of them is eaves dropping.
At an Ultimate Frisbee game the other night, another player mentioned she gets really good deals on athletic gear at Tennis Warehouse – and not just for playing tennis! Frisbee girl said they have great liquidation sales, free shipping and no tax. Oh really?
I had to check it out for myself. The regular-priced items on the homepage were nothing to write home about. A tiny sale button at the bottom of the site took me to a page that had women’s skorts for $20-$45 (orig. $40-$60). Hmmm, anything else?
Then I found the liquidation page. Women’s skorts, wicking tanks, and warm up pants, above, were $15 each. Nice!
On the men’s liquidation page I saw wicking T-shirts for $15, shorts for $20 and up, and warm up pants for as low as $15.
The free shipping deal is for orders over $75 and does not apply to cases of tennis balls, demo racquets, or backordered shipments. Not sure about the no tax deal as that may vary by state. You can also order over the phone by calling 800-8-TENNIS. 800-8-TENNIS. 1-800-8-TENNIS
Get $1 off any purchase at Jamba Juice when you enter your email and birthday as part of their Feel Good promotion. I entered my info and got a coupon with a 10 digit code to print out. I bring it to the store, they scan it and tell me if it is worth $1, or more. They have cash prizes up to $10,000. Expires Jan 4, 2010.
Caveats: only one feed good buck per purchase.
Get 25 percent off the list price of one item at Borders through Wednesday, October 7, 2009. Print the coupon here. Online use code BSL6688C. Must be a Borders Rewards member. Some caveats.
Create your own 2010 photo calender at Walgreens and get 33 percent off with code BIRD33 until October 10, 2009.
You may have noticed there were no new blog posts yesterday. That’s because my weekend camping trip to Catalina was extended by one night when the Coast Guard didn’t let our ferry boat come pick us up Sunday. Why not? The waves were 8 feet high!
We could actually see the watery horizon was roiling – it was very windy – so we opted to take advantage of the ferry company’s hotel discount offer. A teeny tiny hotel room with two queen beds for $60. Somehow all five of us fit with our over-sized backpacks. What a bargain!
If you are not convinced that saving is the best path to financial prosperity, TheSmartestWay to Save: Why You Can’t Hang on to Money and What to Do About It wants to convince you. The 205-page book persuades with facts, quotes, and lessons that are down-to-earth and basic. Following all their advice is the hard part.
TheSmartestWay has 23 chapters broken into three sections: your money and you; your money and others; and your money and the world. The book starts with the basics of why credit card debt is bad, how to develop spending and saving discipline and asks 19 questions to gauge your current spending savvy.
It offers advice on creating money harmony at home, including showing the other person they are more important than money, getting consent for major purchases, and being honest about money.
TheSmartestWay also has tips on bargain shopping, where to find good deals, and shares a list of 10 questions you should ask yourself before you try on a piece of clothing. They are so useful I’m sharing them here.
1. Do I really need this item?
2. Is it priced well for the value?
3. Can I afford the expense right now?
4. Would I wear it lots of places often?
5. Is it the right size?
6. Does it fit the image I’m trying to project?
7. Does it coordinate with my other clothes?
8. Is it made well enough to last several years?
9. Would I wear it several years from now?
10. Would I regret not buying it?
I recommend this book if you lack motivation but want to start budgeting or spending less. TheSmartestWay covers a lot of ground but is not overly technical. Amazon sells it for $13.25.
Leave a comment on this post by Friday for a chance to win my review copy!
CashMoneyLife lists the top 10 industries that net consumer complaints and then has tips for how to avoid getting snared.
FreeMoneyFinance asks if you would take a $10,000 paycut for a job closer to home. So how much is a good commute worth?
WalletPop says somethings are not worth buying at the Dollar Store. Doe sthat mean everything NOT on her list is a deal?
Bargaineering has the low-down on securing self-employed health care. Plans start at $37/mo. Um, you’re kidding, right?
WiseBread says America is the no-vacation nation. As someone contemplating two working-vacations, I would have to agree. I feel guilty just thinking about taking so much time off!
Get a free sub sandwich at Quiznos when you buy one and a drink. Use this coupon. Expires Oct. 26, 2009. You can also get $1 off select sandwiches with a coupon through the above link, but this deal has a lot more restrictions.
Caveats on the free coupon: not valid on delivery orders, participating locations only, one coupon per person per order, cannot be combined with any other offers.
Drumroll please. You guys really outdid yourselves with the comments you left on the blog this week. There were 31 comments alone on my book review of Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel. Each comment automatically entered you to win one of three copies of Scoundrel.
And the winners are…
Melissa, hates to see a frugal opportunity wasted.
Coming from someone who dies a little bit inside when the hubbie throws away fast-food condiment packets and napkins, this sounds like my kind of read! Really hoping to score one of these books!
Tammy, who says this type of book is her favorite.
I adore reads like this. Sometimes frugality is just overwhelmingly serious. We all need a laugh. And I’m a music publicist so I need it worse that all of you! LOL
And Marie Aivazian, who takes the grand prize by mixing a frugal confession with an honest plea. Great job, Marie!
Reading this book will be a guilty pleasure for most of us – since most of us practice (or wish we had thought of!) some of these funny economies. Which one of us does not have secret stashes of mustard & ketchup packets, even restaurant napkins? We are all embarrassed that we need to practice such frugalities, so here’s a book that lets us realize we’re not alone in our comic practices! Bargain Babe, I really really want a copy of that book – please please please!!!
UPDATE: Remember to become a Facebook friend of Walgreens by TODAY to get a free photobook.
Get a free photobook from Walgreens when you friend them by Oct. 2, 2009 on Facebook. The freebie is for 5 x 7 photos. You have to pay for shipping, however. Friend them here.
Maybe you have summer vacation photos to publish or are making a gift for someone?
Thanks, Common Sense With Money!
I recently interviewed Morgana Rae, a financial coach who writes Abundance and Prosperity, about how we spend ourselves into balls of stress. She shared four habits to watch out for.
Bad habit No 1. Buying junk. Filing up on junk is easy, but leaves you with a stomach ache.
Bad habit No 2. Impulse buying. Morgana says 80 percent of what we buy is on impulse. We haven’t planned for it and that means we probably don’t need it. So if I decide to I need to buy a cup of coffee and the line is 10 minutes long, is that still considered an impulse buy? How long until a purchase transitions from impulse to planned?
Bad habit No 3. Emotional buys. You don’t want to buy from huge euphoria or depression. The stronger the feeling the stupider you become. Retail therapy can be expensive.
Bad habit No 4. Shopping unconsciously. Keep a spending journal so you know what you bought. Morgana keeps a booklet in her purse or jots down notes on her smart phone. Then she writes it
What bad habits do you have or used to have? Tips for overcoming them?
Readers have already shared a ton of great ideas for the frugal Halloween costume contest.
Lisa has a costume that makes money:
Get a large trash bag, cut holes in for legs and arms, then fill out around you with assorted bottles, cans, etc. and go as a Recyclable. Then you can cash in the costume for $$ – very bargain babish!
Lynda has a veggie suggestion:
I went to a party one year where a woman wore a long orange dress, and tied several piece of fern to her head…said she was a carrot!
A friend who was pregnant wore an old girl scouts uniform with a sign: It’s the Boy Scouts who are supposed to be prepared. Got a lot of laughs. Whatever you choose, have fun!
Georgie is super resourceful:
Put a pair of green tights and top on and blow up green balloons and go as a bunch of grapes, we did it for the whole family last year, cheap as chips. I will email you a photo. (above)
Hilary says go incognito:
I had an old fake christmas tree, and I reworked the branches to hang from my body I was inside the tree. Battery-powered lights, ornaments, the whole bit, and they couldn’t figure out who it was.
Debra’s costumes are especially clever:
My mother was the original cheapskate for Halloween. My brother and I had 2 choices – ghost or “hobo.” We either had to wear the sheet with eye holes or dad’s old clothes with fireplace ash on our face. Good times.
Now my husband and I usually dress up with topical themes. A few years ago, when I was 7 months pregnant, we went as pregnant Britney and K-Fed. All we needed was a wife-beater for him and some bare feet, Cheetos and a Red Bull for me.
Although if you really want to be cheap, once I forgot to wear a costume to a costume party, so I told everyone I was dressed as apathy.
Meital has a sweet idea:
Everyone’s name in my family start with an M. One year, the 6 of us in my family dressed up as the M&M’s. The 4 kids were different colored M&M’s and my parents were the M&M package. It was very cute!
Missed the rules? You describe a low-budget Halloween costume in a comment. On Halloween I dress up as the cheapest, most bizarre costume you’ve suggested. With pictures of the winning costume, of course!
So what frugal costume do you want me to dress up as?
Get $5 off a purchase of $20 or more at Borders through Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. Print the coupon here. In store only. Some caveats. If you shop online without the coupon, Borders has more than 1 million items that qualify for free shipping through Oct. 4, 2009.
The online cash-back rebate site eBates has pumped up a few of their cash back offers, including 3 percent at Dell, 4 percent at Sears, 5 percent at Ann Taylor, 6 percent at HP, and 8 percent at SmartBargains.com. To get these discounts, join eBates (free) and click on merchant sites from eBates.com.
Get 20 percent off orders of $50 or more and 40 percent off orders of $100 or more at MyPublisher, a site where you can turn digital photos into photobooks. Use coupon code HOLSAVE40 at checkout. Expires Nov. 4, 2009.
Vista Print is offering a bunch of free office supplies, including 250 business cards, 140 address labels, 1 rubber stamp, a pad of sticky notes, 100 postcards, mouse pads, and more.
I’m especially tempted by their business cards because it makes me feel so official! To get the freebies click on the image at left.
Caveats: you pay for shipping.
You are supporting BargainBabe.com by getting freebies from Vista Print.
UPDATE: KellyM has done business with Vista Print before – watch out!
I made some very inexpensive cards on Vista Print and they look good – no ads on the back. I believe 250 cards ran around $10 including shipping. HOWEVER, their website is VERY tricky – they have tons of pop-up offers and you must read the fine print. Clicking okay can get you into trouble! Overall, the price was good but, you’ve got to be uber careful when placing your order!
One of my oldest blogger friends, Jason at Frugal Dad, wrote this headline for a post about what happens when people see him making frugal decisions and assume he is poor.
The other day I had problems with the old van I drive to and from work. A friend saw me struggling to get it started in my employer’s parking lot, and the next day said, “Man, I felt bad watching you try to get the old van running. When do you think you’ll be able to buy a nicer car?”
Ouch. Frugal Dad’s friend assumed he was poor because he drives a skanky van. Is this what people think when they see me on my beater bike? I now know the answer is: ABSOLUTELY!
That afternoon, while standing outside waiting on a ride home, and feeling a tad bit sorry for myself, it occurred to me that living frugal often gives people the wrong perception of your financial health. When others see you making frugal choices, they automatically assume you are doing it because you have to, not because you want to. Sure, I could go out and sign the next five years away with a new car loan, but I choose not to.
We can’t control other people’s assumptions about us, but we can control the way we respond to them. Why not say, “Oh I can afford a new car, but this van has so many good memories,” Or “I’d rather put my kid through college.” Or, “I have the money to buy a new car, I just don’t want to spend my money that way.”
The fact is, most frugal people are in much better financial positions than those feeling sorry for them. The classic example is Sam Walton (of Wal-Mart), who right up until his death drove an old pickup truck around Bentonville, Arkansas. Those who didn’t recognize him probably thought he was just an average guy not able to afford a “nicer car.” We know he could have easily carved $60,000 out of his billions for a shiny new Mercedes, but he didn’t need one. His old truck suited him just fine.
A lot of frugal choices are invisible. Nobody knows how much we have socked away in our 401 (k) or savings account. What shows is our out-of-date clothes and cars, our brown bag lunches, and our hobbies – we hike, not $ki.
But just as people mis-judged Sam Walton and Frugal Dad, how many times have you assumed someone is rich because of their appearance when they are carrying loads of debt and living paycheck to paycheck? I bet it happens all the time.
Not that that is any consolation to people worried about how living frugally looks to others.
The thought of living frugal frightens many egos out there into thinking they may not appear as successful, or wealthy, if they shop at thrift stores, drive old cars, cut their own hair, clip coupons, and make their own homemade laundry detergent.
I’m sure this is true. It’s easy to say “I don’t care about what other people think about me.” But it’s basically impossible to do because we are social creatures. We care about other people, so we care what they think. The thing is to not care what everybody thinks about you, just the people you care about, and even then, in moderation. If my mother told me she was really worried about me, I would listen. Wouldn’t you?
UPDATE: KB left an amazing comment – I wish I had written it myself! (excerpted here)
While I’ve only bought one “brand-new,” car in my life, and I’ve never paid more than $100 for a blouse, I’ve managed to mingle with the rich and famous without worry or concern that I didn’t fit in…it’s in one’s carriage and attitude, I find…there is a wisdom and comfort in knowing the true value of material objects, and knowing how to face the reality of your personal situation. It is not the clothes on a persons back that determines his/her worth.
How does KB carry herself among the rich and famous? I hope she will elaborate!
Get a free drink at Peet’s Coffee when you buy one for a friend now through Oct. 11, 2009. Holy cow – that’s a 50 percent off coupon good for almost two weeks! Get the coupon here.
Caveats: excludes juice, kid’s drinks and bottled beverages. Not valid at supermarket, airport or BART locations. One per visit. May not be combined with other coupons or discounts.
