A Good Deal

Recently, while I was in Mexico helping a homeless, poverty-stricken family get a chance in life, my husband was holding down the economic fort in Idaho by purchasing "good deals". Costco. Need I say more? The bulk warehouse where we're sucked into thinking bigger is better and more is essential by lower cost-per-unit prices. I have a good size house. I do not have a Costco size house. Now, I have some supplies that will probably last until this time two years from now.

I've threatened to take his card away. He cannot go to Costco without me. It's just not prudent. His defense is, "it was such a good deal. Why pay the same price for something from the grocery store that is less than half the size?"

I'll tell you why. I cannot possibly use it up before it goes bad. I do buy some things in bulk at Costco. Toilet paper, dishwasher soap, batteries. Not perishable items, though. Granted, not all he purchased was perishable. But it is not a good deal if after opening, it sits in the fridge (taking up way too much space, by the way) for a month. It is not a good deal if we end up throwing any of it away. But he still thinks it is. Overall he spent less, he says. I don't get this logic. And he's a banker! He's all about value, I'm all about not wasting.

Let me show you:


Recently we got a new grill. They recommended some seasonings. What did I have in the cupboard? That little "Weber" jar in front. Apparently, the saying is "spice is the variety of life."


On the left, the olive can I normally buy from a normal grocery store. Is he wanting a tapas party??


This is delicious barbeque sauce. I had those two little bottles in the pantry (& one in the fridge). Good deal from Costco: two in a package.


I have nothing to compare this to. I don't buy blue cheese, ever. Now we have 504 ounces of the stuff. After tasting it, he decided it was too strong. I'm leaving it in the fridge to mock him. That's how I am.


If you get a gift from me in the next five years, it just may be wrapped in tin foil. In front is the normal size (75 ft) roll. We have seven HUNDRED and fifty feet now. Yes, it's wider and will fit the new grill easily. Where does one store a roll this big???


All I've said to you here, I've said to him. It's another way men and women are different. It has, however, influenced how I tell him I spend money. I compare all the options, citing one of the more expensive ones as my example when I find that good deal of my own. Example: shopping for a new mirror for the bedroom yesterday. I started at the furniture store. $250! I stopped at a couple other places and ended up with a full length one from Ross for $15. He wouldn't have made a big deal about spending $15 for the mirror. But when I said I could've spent $250, he's very happy with my final purchase. I never would've spent $250 for a mirror and he knows that. Remember, he's all about the good deal. It's all in the presentation. I could've spent $250 but actually spent $15. That's a very good deal.

Oh yeah, we're having a party this weekend. Come over for spicy, barbeque, blue-cheese stuffed olives. We'll be eating on tin foil.