Frugal is no longer a lifestyle choice… by choice
Lunch money is so . . . 1990s. Pack your kids lunchboxes with healthy meals and snacks, like a peanut-butter sandwich with crackers and an apple. It’s quick and economical.
Coupons have taken on new importance — The Promotion Marketing Association now reports that 97 percent of the people who do the majority of the shopping for their households use coupons at supermarkets.
Shoppers walk the aisles, scanning sales fliers and punching numbers into calculators. They stand in front of the cereal boxes, comparing prices, doing the mental math on buy one, get one deals. Others bypass certain aisles and products that were once a staple of their pantries.
It’s hard to deny that digital coupon distribution is poised for a breakout year. According to Scarborough Research, 11% of US households printed coupons via the internet in 2007 (up 83% since 2005!) That figure has no doubt grown since this study was executed, given the multiple price advances manufacturers were forced to take in the first half of 2008.
Coupon Use
Yet, pinching pennies isn’t that simple, Stankus said.
“Being frugal really is a lifestyle,” Stankus said. “It’s a mind-set. It’s not buying immediately. It’s waiting for things to go on sale. It’s being aware of how much things cost. It’s planning.”
On a Wednesday evening, Stankus sits at her kitchen table browsing through a pile of grocery store advertisements.
The room evokes the feeling of warmth and luxury, embellished with framed art, antiques, unique knickknacks and rich colors.
But there’s a bargain-hunting story behind the pieces.
For instance, a large framed abstract painting with arches of blue, orange, yellow and brown, reminiscent of the shape of the Sydney Opera House, was purchased for $80 at Rogue Valley Manor’s annual sale.
Her eyes sharp and her posture erect, Stankus points to a canned soup special in an Ashland Shop N’ Kart advertisement.
“Progresso soups are really good,” she said. “I recently saw them on sale at the Ashland Albertsons for $1 a can, and I bought a lot. Now, I see $1.38, and I’m thinking that’s not a good deal.”
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