Using My Frugality for Good

If you know me or have been to this site -- if you're in either group, I'm sorry -- you'll know that I am really good at finding bargains and being frugally in general. Some bargains I've mentioned before include:

Lately, however, I had a great idea after noticing two things. The first was that California has yet again managed its public schools into the ground. The second was that lots of office supply stores in my area had really great bargains on office supplies. Put the two together and you have this stash I managed to bring in.

The accounting is as follows starting from the top left of the first row:

  1. (3) 1" blue binders for $0.59 each (total: $1.77)
  2. 3)  packs of tabbed binder dividers also for $0.59 each (total: $1.77)
  3. (1) red Jansport backpack for $54.99. Free after mail-in rebate, although it did cost me $5.09 in sales tax which I'm sure California has already spent.
  4. (6) 12 inch wooden rulers for $0.05 each (total $0.30)

The second row starting from the left:

  1. (3) 10-packs of Paper-Mate ballpoint pens for $0.10 (total: $0.30)
  2. (2) 8-packs of Bic ballpoint pens for $0.01 each (total: $0.02)
  3. (2) 24-packs of crayons for $0.69 each (total: $1.38)
  4. (3) plastic protractors for $0.05 each (total: $0.15)
  5. (1) 100-sheet pack of binder paper for $0.20 (total: $0.20)

The third row starting from the left:

  1. (3) 12-packs of pencils for $0.10 each (total: $0.30)
  2. (4) 100-sheet packs of binder paper for $0.20 each (total: $0.80)

Totaling the math:

Grand total? $12.38. For less than what I spend on lunch and dinner each day, I've (hopefully) helped a bunch of school children.

Additional Example -- Budget Cuts
If you read the news even badly, you know that all types of groups (cough, the government, cough) are dealing with huge budget deficits. Much hot air has been expelled talking about whether spending less or taxing more is the proper way to end said deficits.

Having always been one for action, I present this ream of paper I got recently at Staples. Ordinary retail price of $5.99. I got it for $0.55 in sales tax after a Staples Easy Rebate that was available to anyone. I'm not naive enough to think that free paper will solve every budget problem you read about, but instead of spending less or taxing more, how about we get more for the money we do spend? If even I can do it, it must not be hard.

Additional Example -- Upgrading my wardrobe

On the left above is my leather office chair. On the right above is the compact Kodak digital camera I carry with me most everywhere I go. The chair retailed for $100 and the camera for $80. With two simple coupons that were available to everyone, however, I managed to get the (a) chair, (b) the camera, as well as all of the below.

  1. 2 casual collared shirts and 1 solid t-shirt (picture)
  2. 10 felt-covered dress shirt hangars (picture; obviously I'm only showing 4)
  3. 3 pairs of dress pants (picture)
  4. A set of 3 ShamWows for washing my car (picture)

Oh, and I still had $7.54 left over.

Additional Singular Examples
On an unrelated endeavor, here's the cycling jersey I got from GM for free after test driving a Cadillac CTS:

Here's the Mobil One Synthetic motor oil (mmm... motor oil) that I got on 2-for-1 clearance

 

  Friday, April 22, 2011 03:15:44 PM