My Achilles Heel is Savings

Last night I went to a local ice cream stand, Hank's Frozen Custard, with James and Mike the Tall. This was the third time I was visiting this local ice cream stand in the past week, my parents had taken me there the other two times. Each time I went there with my family, Dad got a pint of chocolate custard. A pint! I would tell him, "Dad, that's a ton of ice cream." He would just respond, "It's cheaper than getting a large." I didn't quite get it until last evening when I looked at the menu, keeping in mind that my wallet was taking care of the bill. Not only was a pint of ice cream cheaper than a large, it was the same exact price as a medium!

This led to me eating an entire pint of ice cream in one sitting. That might be old hat for some, but for me it's sort of a big deal. Sure it's alot of ice cream, but it also shows you how much my dad's consumer lifestyle has rubbed off on me.

The philosophy is simple: get the most amount of something for the cheapest price. It doesn't matter if you are going to eat everything or not, you are saving money. Dad stresses economic frugality to get the most you can out of businesses. Why do you think we own both an Entertainment and Enjoy coupon books? The entire book is filled with BOGO (Buy One, Get One) coupons. You use the book two or three times and its already paid for itself. Every time I go off to college he fills a ziplock bag with tons of coupons for the Greensburg area. A prime example of my own execution of this philosophy was back when the mayor of Fizz City was offering any size drink for $.99 at Sheetz. Every Monday, on my way to the Pittsburgh Filmmakers, I would stop there and get the largest Lemon Iced Tea possible.

I voted for the mayor's re-election, but the people of Fizz City said no... They went back to their normal drink prices at Sheetz (which still aren't bad: $1.19 for the largest drink!)

But you see, this isn't about gluttony, it's about frugality. It's about getting the most for your money, stretching your dollar to the very brink of destruction. It's the same philosophy that makes me look around and compare prices of CDs and DVDs before I buy them. I cringe every time I walk by FYE and see someone paying $18.99 for a new music CD.

It's this mentality, however, that will contribute to the one thing I swore I would not become: fat. You see, there is this sort of curse on my dad's side of family. None of my uncles are incredibly obese or anything, but they sure aren't thin. The catch is that they used to be thin, until they got out of college. You can see pictures of all of my uncles and my father on their wedding day... they were as thin as can be. Now they have settled into their plump Italian lives, and its my philosophy that they got that way because they can't turn down a good deal.

Why only buy one can of peas when they are "Buy one get a second half off"? Why buy the medium sized ice cream when you can get a whole pint for the same price, except it doesn't have the frills of a cone? This isn't the "Super Size Me" syndrome, but rather the "5 for 5 at Arby's" issue. Who on earth would pay 4 something for their deli sandwiches when you could just get five roast beefs for five bucks? It's this sort of thinking that not only creates monetary savings and smart spending habits, but can also lead to big bellies and thick thighs.

Should I be worried? Well, maybe not yet. My metabolism is still running at the speed of six jack rabbits on Red Bull, and it seems like no matter how much I stuff my face, I manage to lose a pound or two when it comes time for a physical. But I need to keep this sort of issue in mind for when things start to slow down. I can still get the good deal, but I have to make sure I split the food with someone. Or I could save it for later. It's completely possible to keep up the smart spending and stay healthy, I just have to start being frugal in other ways as well.