Bargin Hunter?

John over at Going Gently did a posting a couple of weeks ago about the scramble for discounts in the grocery store. The posting got me to thinking if I was a bargain hunter or not, or someplace in between.  I have to say someplace in between.  I don't live and die based on the price I pay for things.  I would never fight someone for a bargain.   

I really don't pay a lot of attention to food prices, I buy what I want, I buy the best quality I can.  That being said, I don't buy steak at Balduchi's and generally wait for it to be on sale.  When I buy steak, I buy the best, I'd sooner pay $20 a pound for a nice tender filet, than $10 a pound for a tough strip steak.  If I find something I like, marked down, I am likely to stock up, or even splurge.  I found ducks on sale after Christmas, marked down from $5 a pound to 49-cents a pound.  I had never cooked a duck before, it was fun and tasty (I think I still have duck fat in the freezer!) 

The year before I started law school, I needed a job.  Any job, I needed an income money and health insurance.  I filled in a few applications and the first offer was from a department store.  I spent 9 months selling ladies shoes for about $9 an hour.  An experience that will forever shape how I buy clothing.  I almost never pay retail for clothes, everything goes on sale sooner or later.  Even better is clearance on sale. As I have gotten harder to fit, I buy more and more online, on sale at a deep discount.  When I see it, if it is a good value, I buy it.  

For many money is a scorecard of success.  For me it is security.  I am always reminded that I can't take it with me, even if dad did place an order on Amazon a week after he died.  I watched the accounts, he only did that once.