What Would You Buy If You Had $30 to Spend? (2)by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 06 Jan 2007 06:14 AM
Kohls, a small department store offered me a $30 reward to spend any way I liked in the store. So the other night, while our house was being shown to potential buyers, we headed over to make a purchase. Andrew, my brilliantly frugal five-year-old son, voted for an attachment to our mixer, which I thought was pretty sensible. We headed over the the appliances, and I was secretly hoping that the waffle mixer I wanted would still be there. It wasn't. Next I looked at the two available mixer attachments--a food grinder, which I didn't think we would get too much use out of, and a slicer shredder. Hmm, that would work. I could use it to make homemade french fries, potato chips and hash browns out of the very frugal potato, and shred big blocks of cheddar cheese, very idea frugal there. The attachments were priceless--literally. They did not have any prices. After a little wait, a store employee helped us find a price checker. It scanned at $59.99! Yikes. "Those things last forever," he said. I'm sure they do, but so does debt. The slicer/shredder attachment was not on sale. I can't remember the last time I bought something not on sale, unless it was medicine or doctor services. The internal dialog started. It would really cost me $29.99 after the certificate. However, there were some holiday place mats and decorations on sale. Yeah, but how much use would we get out of seasonal merchandise that would be stored most of the year. So what did I do? Well, I wandered around the store aimlessly for a while, in a fog, debating the merits of buying the attachment with my certificate versus looking for it on sale elsewhere. Overall, I would spend more money, buying the attachment elsewhere and also "spending" the $30 certificate. As I debated, I found that we wound up in the toys section. Smart kid that boy of mine. I woke from my fog long enough to say no to a rather large water gun and a set of micro rescue heroes that, if we purchased them, I was sure would wind up in the vacuum. We wandered back to the appliances. Maybe I should get that slice/shredder attachment. And along the way, I saw them--individual glass pyrex storage containers with lids. They are perfect for freezing meals, as I just can't stand the plastic taste of freezer bags. And they go from the freezer to the oven very easily. The containers were heavily discounted, and a very frugal choice in every sense. I could get four large containers with their lids free and clear with my certificate. The little frugal angel on my shoulder nodded her approval. The little frugal devil was disappointed but quickly wandered off to cause some mischief in ladies hosiery. What do you think? Did I make a good choice? Related Articles: What Would You Buy If You Had $30 to Spend? (1) Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags gift card, Kohls, spend, shopping Discuss this article
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