It feels so good to say it! Between our expensive honeymoon to Greece, and both of our extravagances we had a pretty high bill. (but lower than the national averagewhich is shockingly $18,654) This was/is extremely unfortunate but it is what it is. We just had to fix it. And in order to do that we in no way, shape, or form were allowed to add to what we were working so hard to pay off. Although we still had that credit card bill looming over us we were smart. We moved all debt to 0% cards, and my husband worked up what he called a “debt snowball” to make sure our payment schedule was bringing us to our goal as quickly as possible.

I have mentioned in a previous post that I think people need “things” too much in today’s world. Meaning, not the necessities like food and shelter, but material things. Things like clothes, and cars, and electronic gadgets. It’s one thing if you can afford to have these things another thing if you are loading up on debt to get them. I did it…I fell for it…I loved shopping and buying boots, and new clothes for different events..but I gotta tell you, nothing feels worse than paying for it now. The pleasure I had from buying and wearing it quickly faded, and now I’m left with a constant reminder in the form of a bill.

But I’m lucky…I’m young and my husband and I were able to manage our debt. We are now older and wiser and plan never to let that happen again. I’ll admit that I can see the benefits of the 1 year interest free financing for big items…but only if you can do the math and make sure it’s paid in full in that year…but other then that I plan on continuing to be debt free! I can MAYBE agree to putting stuff on credit cards for points or miles and making sure I pay in full every month, but other than that Credit cards are OUT! Debt Free is in!!

My Meals Are Less Expensive

I know to most people this seems like such a small thing. It just makes sense. Why sit there and decide who owes what? Well I’ll tell you why…because more often than not, I make choices that would make my dinner MUCH less expensive then everyone else’s. I don’t eat much in one sitting. I very rarely order or eat an appetizer. I am a very picky eater and therefore, most of the time, I tend to order the most inexpensive thing on the menu. I rarely order alcohol with dinner because I think it’s insane to pay that much for a drink when I can just have it at home after the meal, and I never save room for dessert. So those long winded statements say that I pretty much only have the entree.

Most of the time, when my friends go out they order all 3 courses on top of alcoholic beverages, and that is more than fine and dandy, but I just don’t want to have to pay for it. My husband gets so mad at me if I even begin to mention that I should owe much less than everyone else. So mad, that we rarely go out to dinner with friends anymore because of this. I feel that if I choose to eat less than everyone else, and make a conscious effort to make my dinner be less expensive, then I shouldn’t be forced to pay for everyone else’s meal. He feels that if we are going out with others that I just have to accept the fact that that is how it is, and suck it up. So we pretty much are at a stalemate, and won’t give.

An Example

Here is a real life scenario….One night we go out to dinner with a rather large group of people (about 10) to a reasonably priced steak house. The table orders a very large seafood appetizer (I don’t eat seafood), and lots of alcoholic beverages (I chose to drink water). Everyone places their order. Most people order steak meals, some order surf and turf. I ordered an $18 steak sandwich. After that everyone orders dessert…I of course do not. When the bill comes around what happens??? Does anyone at the table notice that I did not eat everything that everyone else ate? Does my husband speak up? NOPE! Do I speak up? NOPE  So what are we left paying? $40 per person! 

Now I know what a lot of you are thinking, “Jen, you’ve just gotta play the game!” “If you can’t beat em join em right?” RIGHT! I am now forced to order just as much as everyone else. If we do end up going out I order the wine, and the appetizer. Why not? I will be paying for it anyway!

I will admit that when going out with another couple it makes perfect sense to split the bill. Normally, in this case everyone is pretty equal. I can admit this. I really enjoy going out with one other couple. But once you start adding more than that, things start to get a little more uneven, and this happens more often than not with our group of friends. Don’t get me wrong. I love that we have great friends who want to get together a lot…that’s wonderful…but my crazy brain can’t wrap around the idea of spending that much on dinner. Especially when I am very happy spending very little.

So, go ahead friends. I have opened myself up to be made fun of here, but I just had to write about this topic!

Name Brands vs Store Brands

1. Garbage Bags: This is an area where it is worth it to buy the named brand in my opinion. After college I lived in an apartment that was the upstairs of a house. Every time the garbage had to be taken out, I would have to get it out of the garbage can (which was always too full and I had to struggle and pull it out), carry it downstairs, and outside to the cans. I thought I would save myself some money and bought the store brand bags. What a mistake! They would tear, and leak and drip things all along my floor as me or my husband would carry it out. Each time many a curse word would escape our mouths. You know that commercial “Hefty! Hefty! Hefty!…Wimpy Wimpy Wimpy!” Where the wimpy bags dump all over the floor? Well that was us. So now? Name brand all the way for me.
2. Tylenol/Advil: When it comes to these types of medications I find myself leaning towards buying the store brand. For these I have read the back of the bottle, and see that all the ingredients are the same. When I take the store brand it seems that my ailments go away as quickly as if I took the name brand. So for this? Score one for the store brand.
3. Non Dairy Creamer: This may seem like a weird one to point out, but I had to because this item is the reason for this post. I asked my husband to pick up some non dairy creamer at the store on his way home ( I needed it for my coffee in the morning) and he came home with a large bottle of the store brand. That was perfectly fine. I commend him for being a thrifty shopper. But it turns out that the product just isn’t as good as the name brands! I was shocked. It was watery, and took a lot more of it to take the bitterness out of my morning coffee. This was no good!
4. Mouthwash: I think this one is just in my head. I am a true believer in Listerine. (Personally I am a fan of the new vanilla mint!) I am not sure if it’s because it really hurts when I use it so I think it’s working or what, but I have tried store brand mouthwash’s that say they are the same as Listerine, but I just don’t believe it. They seem so much more watered down to me.
5. Shampoo: I have to go with name brand on this one. I may be a shampoo snob, but I am one of those people who buy salon grade shampoo for my hair. I try, and try different and less expensive brands of shampoo, but my hair comes out feeling limp and knotty. So, on this one I have to go with the name brand’s name brand. (Does that make sense?) And even if we stick with the theme here of name brand vs. store brand I must say I have tried let’s say the store brand of Pantene, vs. Pantene and I found it to be a less superior product. Sorry!
6. Bodywash: On this one I go with the store brand, or less expensive brands. Recently I bought Oil of Olay with tone enhancing ribbons. It said it had some sparkle in it due to the minerals and I love when my skin sparkles. (I know I know I’m a loser) But I gotta tell ya…no sparkles! I am just as happy with my $3 bottle of “whatever” bodywash. It still smells good and I am happy.

So going back and reading over this short list it seems that the name brands win in my household. For now, at this point in my life I guess it’s worth the extra couple of bucks to get the product that I want. So what do you think? What is your list when it comes to the items you buy? Who wins? Name brands or Store brands?

IF YOU HAD ALL THE MONEY YOU NEEDED, AND YOU COULD ONLY PICK ONE, WHICH PAID STAFF/PERSON WOULD YOU HIRE?

A few examples would be a personal chef to cook your meals, a maid to clean your house, a driver to take you where you need to go. I am very curious to hear what you would choose and why.

A Driver

Personally, as of right now, at this point in my life, I would choose a driver. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but for those of you who know me personally I have many an issue with transportation. I hate the train, I hate not being able to leave a place when I want to, but I also hate being the sober driver when we are out. Not to mention the fact that my family lives in PA and it would be wonderful to hit the belt parkway in the comforts of the backseat of a town car! (A little side note..the belt parkway is a hellish road that is constantly backed up with traffic!)

I am pretty positive that once I have children that my priorities would change. Days of worrying about transportation to and from the bars will be a thing of the past. At that time I am sure that I would choose a maid. That would be my second choice. With kids running around and the activities that come with being a mom, I would be left to believe that a spic and span house would not be a number one priority.

So ladies please share! I’m curious to know what you all would choose!