Do you look down upon those who try to get the most for their money, or do you admire and applaud them?

Answer 1

Depends.

If you clip coupons and you shop online to find the best deals before rushing out to buy something, then I applaud you. If you spend 6 hours grocery shopping at 5 different stores because you can save $9 on a $200 grocery bill, then I have trouble respecting your decision making process.

My husband and I clip coupons, and we try to save money where we can, but we put a higher value on our time and won’t go out of our ways to save a dollar or two. We have a neighbor who goes 3 miles out of his way – in rush hour traffic – to stop at a specific gas station that is usually 2 cents cheaper per gallon. He has a 20 gallon tank on his car, so assuming he’s completely out of gas and has to buy 20 gallons every time he goes, he’s saving 40 cents every week. It takes him about 15 to 20 minutes to go to that gas station. For 40 cents. Assume 15 minutes at 40 cents – that equates to a value of $1.60 per hour that he’s putting on his time. He’s saying that his time is only worth $1.60 per hour. My time is worth a lot more than that.

This same neighbor shops at Jewel, Dominick’s, Cub, Meyer and Sam’s Club, depending on what he’s buying. There are some weekends that it literally takes him 4-5 hours to complete his grocery shopping (his wife works weekends, so he does most of the grocery shopping). He says that sometimes he’s able to save close to $10. I shop in about an hour. I’ll pay the extra $10 and have 3-4 hours more leisure time on a Saturday, thank you.

But to each his own. Some people find enjoyment in seeing how much money they can save. If that's your thing, then more power to you - it's just not me.

Answer 2

I applaud myself! I bargain shop everytime I'm in a store. Don't get me wrong, some things I buy HAVE to be name brand just because it's much better quality. But for most items (clothes, food, etc.), the brand-name's quality is just not worth paying the extra 10-15%.

I don't have a lot of money. I bargain shop partly because of that. However, my grandparents went from poor in their youth to upper-middle class now mostly because they pinched every penny they could and worked their butts off for most of their life. Now, they get to enjoy their retirement and not worry about money. I was raised like this, and I applaud admire everyone who does it!

Answer 3

I'm a salesman. I respect people actively trying to get a good deal as long as they are being smart about it. Comparison shopping should never take more than a day or two. Some people spend so much time thinking about the options that it actually costs them money. I mean, if you spend 3 weeks of your life comparing TVs, and end up saving $80, that's a bad deal. Three weeks of free time is worth more than $80.

Answer 4

I am known by all my friends as a deal finder. I will and do spend money but so I can get all we need and most of our wants I am always researching and finding the best deal I can this week I got Christmas for a friends and her 2 kids who had 100.00 no more and all they wanted was the v-flash with an extra controller and 2 games. the system itself is 100 retail on line most places on sale for 69.99 the controller is 29.99 and the games retail for 24.99-28.99 each way above their budget all In all. I managed to get it all for 96.00 with shipping and handling. Cheap maybe but this Christmas will be so much more special for those 2 kids who wont be getting anything else under the tree. For me a deal is a means to an end thats all.

Answer 5

I'm kind of in the middle on this. If they are saving their money because there are good deals out there or they are on a tight budget and need to get the most out of their money then yes ilove the idea. But sometimes it's not the best idea for like example diapers, those that can afford the best kind of diaper but still buy the cheapest ones, probebly not the best idea.
Liz

Answer 6

I don't know about admire, but I applaud them. In this day and age you need to do it. Especially the seniors who live in a fixed income or people living on minimum wage.

Answer 7

I think most people like to get the best bang for their buck. There are different ways of going about it which can color your perception one way or the other. Those that annoy me are the ones who whine and cry. When this happens I feel like they are trying to cheat people out of a fair deal. On the other hand, those that play by the accepted rules (whatever they may be in specific situations) get a good deal as does the seller. Then, again, there are those who just love paying too much. They act as though it is a status symbol. Please, feel free to do that in my store.

Answer 8

I applaud them and find it's normally someone that has worked for there money who has this approach to spending it rather then someone who's been given it and cant workout how many hours work went into buying something

Answer 9

No, I do not look down on them. Yes, I admire and applaud them.

Answer 10

Admire, admire, admire!

These are the deal spotters of the world, and they are needed in times like this!

If anything, look down at those who are trying to give you less for your money!