Classic frugal moment

A small anecdote that I realized sums up a lot about being frugal.

Using my $100 gift card I won in a sweepstakes from my alma mater's alumni association I bought a highly-regarded book in the aptly-named bargain section for $7.50. (Retail price: $30, Amazon price: $20)

That may not jump out as you as particularly frugal, so let's dissect a bit further:

1) Always try to enter a sweepstakes when it's free, takes little time or effort, the prize is somewhat desirable and is from a legit source. You won't always win, but when you do this is fantastic essentially "passive income," no?

2) Frugal people look for the sweet spot of value and price -- even when they're spending free money. This means they may sometimes need to flexible to accommodate considerations. Case in point, I didn't go into the store with this book in mind at all.

3) Moderation is key. After some looking, nothing other than the book I eventually purchased caught my eye as much. So, rather than spend the whole card on a bunch of things that kind of interested me (even if they were also on sale) or blow nearly one-third of it on a new hard cover version of book I've been meaning to read for a while (but could also check out from the library), I bought the one book.

For me, the decision-making process was mostly second-nature, but for anyone trying to take a closer look at their finances, it's maybe helpful to slow down and consider your impluses when making a purchase.

Make a $5 donation AND get the new Walkmen album-- all for FREE!

I read today earlier on Stereogum that fantastic indie rock band the Walkmen have released their new album early on digital-download site Amie Street. What's more is that the album will only set you back a mere $5 and what's better is that for every download of the album the band is partnering to donate $5 to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center "in honor of Luca Vasallo, who is seven months old and doing a great job fighting a difficult disease."

Not convinced yet? If you don't have an Amie Street account yet you can sign up via this link. I found that link in June on the Slick Deals forum. You get a free $5 to spend however you want, potentially. (As long as it still works!)

So, to recap, the steps to a free album and a free donation:

1) Sign up for Amie Street here: http://amiestreet.com/_l/cdbaby
2) Download the Walkmen album at Amie Street
3) Enjoy the new tunes and your small good deed for people fighting cancer!

I had to top-up my account with a few more bucks to purchase the Walkmen album. Listening to it now as I type-- so far, so good!

I am a music lover, but one who really still prefers buying CDs and often buys them used. For digital downloads at Amie Street, single track downloads vary in popularity but the highest price is still only 98¢ so you can find some bargains in comparison to iTunes.

P.S. Apologies for my lack of posts on this blog so far.

How did you spend your stimulus?

It took a while, but I eventually did receive my economic stimulus check. While, admittedly, I am not an economist, only a citizen armed with common sense and a rudimentary education in Econ, I can't fathom that this initiative is/will be a complete panacea.

It has been interesting getting a look into how others are spending their stimuli by way of the blog-to-future book "How I Spent My Stimulus." One guy posted video of him burning his check in protest and others share how they spent there money on foreign vacations, which is likely more of a brazen act than the former.

As for me, I'm by no means passing judgment on what others do with their money, but I've decided to spend my stimulus money by supporting local businesses over time. I've put it in my HSBC account for now, but it's earmarked for future use.

Today, I went to a local co-op:
Santa Cruz-brand organic lemonade, 32 oz: $1.49
Santa Cruz-brand organic raspberry lemonade, 32 oz: $1.49
Healthnut chocolate chip cookies (not as oxymoronic as it sounds!): $2.49
Natural toothpaste (Never tried before, but I needed some anyway.): $4.59
Handmade birthday card: $3.59

Total with tax: $14.20

A bit pricey for the toothpaste and card as the other items were on sale, but not too bad, overall.