Behind my mask of a penny-pinching tightwad hides a closet spendthrift longing to come out.
Of course, I’ve been trying to keep it a secret. I have an image to protect. How else would I get letters like this, from a riled-up reader in Chicago?
“Sometimes your ways of saving money are downright outrageous,” she wrote. “Good that you always bring your lunch to work. Too bad you never get out and enjoy new restaurants . . .
“Your article on how to save money at Christmas was particularly disturbing. Recycle gifts? You have got to be kidding!
“I suppose you would recommend people return gifts they don’t want and get the cash. Then maybe they could save up over $1 million for their retirement like you have. Of course, God only knows what you are going to do with that money. You seem too cheap to part with a buck!”
Truth is, I am really not that cheap. And, horrors, some folks are beginning to find out. I slipped badly a few weeks ago when I wrote that my wife, Georgina, and I could have gone to the afternoon matinee 10 times with the money I forked over paying a traffic fine.
The movie part was OK, but definitely not what I said about buying a big bucket of popcorn each time. Another reader from Chicago was aghast.
“My wife and I have not bought popcorn in a movie theater for years because of the exorbitant price-up to $3.75 for a big bucket,” he wrote. “When my sister’s children were small, she would pop some corn at home for them to take to the theater.
“It seems, Mr. Cruz, that you are a spendthrift in disguise. Or else it was temporary insanity.”
No, it wasn’t. But I am not ashamed. At our movie theater, we get one free refill when we buy a bucket of popcorn ($3.75).
Motivation for saving
Besides, a little splurging every now and then is good for the soul. It also can keep a good savings plan going, by dangling before the saver the carrot of a temporary reward for a job well done.
For example, if your goal is to save $200 each month, there is nothing wrong with giving yourself a treat if you get to the $200 with a week to spare. (Of course, if you fall short of your goal one month, you are duty-bound to try to make it up the next month.)
The key is either to splurge only on the little stuff-a bucket of popcorn would certainly qualify-or to confine big-time splurges to sporadic and truly meaningful things.
One-time splurges-such as the $200 I will spend to take Georgina and our daughter, Veronica, to dinner and to see “Phantom of the Opera” this month-are not as damaging as the recurring expenses people often incur without a thought.
Example: paying extra for electricity each month, by leaving the air conditioning on for hours when nobody is at home.
Or following the latest fashion fads each year, then discarding your wardrobe after just one season.
Or-it bears saying over and over-getting hit with those interest charges many people let pile up on their credit card bills.
“Phantom” is special, but it will be our only big “night on the town” for the year-or at least the only one that we will pay for. My company picks up the bill for half a dozen big social events they expect me to attend each year.
The simpler things in life
Instead, Georgina and I prefer to splurge on the little things:
– Drinking our favorite bottled mineral water, even if it is the most expensive, because it not only tastes good but also makes us feel better and healthier.
Besides, we don’t drink sodas, beer or hard liquor. And our supermarket often runs a special on the water; Georgina once had to correct the cashier, who rang the wrong price ($1.33 for each 25.3-fluid-ounce bottle, instead of $1.14).
– Eating out at least once every weekend (sometimes twice), but always at family restaurants where the prices are reasonable. Also, where they serve us enough food that we can take a doggy bag home to serve as lunch for the next day.
And we make it a point to try-and enjoy!-new restaurants (especially, of course, when we spot a “10 percent off” coupon in the newspaper, in our condominium newsletter or under the windshield wipers of our car).
– Writing a letter or postcard six days a week to Veronica, who is away at college. We know she really enjoys getting our mail. Postcards are not only cheaper (19 cents instead of 29) but also they are particularly suited for quick daily updates on what we’ve been up to.
Of course, we call too, but after 5 p.m. weekdays, or on weekends, when rates are cheaper.
– Going to the movies most weekends (either matinee or twilight special, of course). And yes, I confess, a bucket of popcorn every now and then.
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Humberto Cruz welcomes questions and comments from readers. Although he cannot respond to each one individually, he will answer those of general interest in his column. Write to him in care of the Orlando Sentinel, P.O. Box 119, Orlando, Fla., 32802-0119.
